Letting Go Of The Past
by cleotheo
Summary: After the war Draco and Hermione put their past behind them and begin a relationship. Can their friends and family also let go of the past or will they cause trouble for the couple?
1. Prologue

**Platform Nine and Three Quarters – London. 1****st**** September.**

Platform Nine and Three Quarters was bustling with activity as the students said a final goodbye to their parents and boarded the bright red Hogwarts Express. It was the first school year since Voldemort's downfall nearly four months ago and despite recent events there were still plenty of people returning to school.

Among those returning was Hermione Granger, who along with her best friends was now a celebrity and a war hero according to the press. Despite being offered any job she wanted at the Ministry of Magic, Hermione had decided she would rather return to Hogwarts to finish her education properly. While Hermione was returning to school her two best friends Harry Potter and Ron Weasley were not, both had instead opted to begin training to be an Auror.

Both boys were present to at the platform along with Molly and Arthur Weasley to see Hermione and Ginny Weasley safely off to school for one final time.

Hermione looked to where Harry and Ginny were talking quietly, their heads mere inches apart, and quickly turned away at the sight of the happy couple. A few days ago she thought that her and Ron would have been the same as after their kiss in the middle of the final battle they had finally started dating and had been a couple throughout the summer. But the previous night Ron had taken Hermione to one side during the farewell dinner at The Burrow and told Hermione that it was best they put their relationship on hold until she had finished school.

Hermione had been unsure why Ron wanted to end their relationship and when pressed Ron admitted he wanted to be sure it was Hermione he really wanted to be with before he committed to anything. Hermione had been hurt by Ron's revelations as she took it to mean that she wasn't enough for the redhead now that he was famous and had girls throwing themselves at him. The break-up had led to a massive argument between the pair and they hadn't spoken to each other since.

"'Mione." Ron said unsurely as he hovered beside Hermione.

Hermione turned to stare at her ex before she spoke with a clipped tone. "What?"

"I'm sorry, I never meant to hurt you." Ron said. He knew he hadn't dealt with their break-up well and he had hurt Hermione more than he had meant to. "I only want to take a break and make sure this is what we both want."

"No, Ronald." Hermione snapped. "You want an excuse to sleep with some of those tarty girls who throw themselves at you without feeling guilty."

"That's not true." Ron protested, even though there was a small voice in the back of his head telling him that Hermione was spot on with her accusations.

"I don't care, Ron. You can do what you want." Hermione said. "One day you'll regret throwing our relationship away without giving us a proper chance."

Hermione then turned on her heel and walked away from Ron. After saying her goodbyes to Harry, Molly and Arthur she boarded the train to Hogwarts one final time without looking back at Ron who was still watching her. A few minutes after Hermione had boarded the train it blew it's whistle and it slowly started to move out of the station.

"Are you okay, mate?" Harry came to stand beside Ron as they watched the train starting to pull out of the station.

"I'm fine." Ron said with a smile. Hermione's final words were echoing in his head and he only hoped for once that the brainy muggle born witch was wrong about something and he wouldn't end up regretting ending their relationship.

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**Platform Nine and Three Quarters - London. Nine Months Later.**

Unfortunately for Ron Hermione was, as usual, right. For the first few months Ron loved the freedom of being single and being able to go home with whichever girl caught his eye that particular night. But after a while the novelty of bedding a different girl every few nights wore off and he started to miss the love and support he had received from Hermione. While Ron and Hermione weren't together long enough for their relationship to become more physical it was still easy for Ron to compare each girl he slept with to his former girlfriend, making him regret his decision to give her up.

For the past couple of months Ron had stopped sleeping around and had decided he would get back together with Hermione. After nine months without having Hermione in his life Ron had finally realised it was the bossy brunette he wanted to spend his entire life with. He had bought a diamond engagement ring and planned on proposing to her the moment she returned from Hogwarts.

"Ron will you stop pacing." Harry said, grabbing Ron's arm to stop the redhead in his tracks.

"Sorry, I'm just nervous." Ron said. Harry was the only person that Ron had told about his plan to propose to Hermione. "What if she says no?"

"I'm sure she won't." Harry reassured his friend. "She's loved you for years."

"Yes, but we didn't exactly part on good terms." Ron fretted. Last month he had wrote to Hermione apologising for his behaviour and asking to remain friends, he was thrilled when he got a positive response from her a few days later.

"That's in the past, Ron." Harry told his friend. "According to Ginny she's forgiven you. Gin also said that's she's been in a really good mood lately."

"I hope she's in a good mood today." Ron muttered.

Harry chuckled at his best friends nerves and together the two carried on waiting for the Hogwarts Express to return to London. When the train started to appear at the end of the platform, Ron visibly paled as he thought of what he was about to do.

As The Hogwarts Express pulled into the station and students started to disembark it was mayhem and completely crowded. Harry and Ron looked about frantically each hoping to get a glimpse of the girl they loved. Harry was the first to get lucky as a flash of red caught his eye, just before Ginny launched herself at him.

"Harry, I've missed you." Ginny exclaimed, hugging Harry tightly.

"I've missed you too, Gin." Harry said, as he embraced his girlfriend.

"Where's Hermione?" Ron asked his sister once she had let go of Harry.

"I don't know, she wasn't sitting with us." Ginny said with a shrug.

"Why not?" Ron questioned as his eyes scanned the crowds looking for a head of bushy brunette hair.

"I don't know, Ron. I was sitting with Luna and you know that Hermione sometimes finds it hard not to contradict some of Luna's wackier theories, maybe she didn't fancy spending the entire journey biting her tongue." Ginny said.

Ron nodded at Ginny's theory and continued to look around the rapidly emptying platform for Hermione. As the platform got emptier and there was still no sign of Hermione, Ron, Harry and Ginny started to panic about their friend.

"Was she definitely on the train?" Harry asked, as an empty Hogwarts Express started to leave the station.

"I don't know." Ginny said, trying to remember if she had seen Hermione on the train. "The last time I can remember seeing her was this morning at breakfast, Hermione only stayed a few minutes before she left, saying she wanted to visit the library one last time."

"Sounds like Hermione." Ron snorted at the brunette's bookworm ways.

"That still doesn't answer whether she was on the train." Harry said. "We need to speak to a few people and see if anyone saw her."

"You don't think anything's happened to her do you?" Ginny asked, worried by Harry's serious tone.

"I'm not sure. But with the war only just over it's a chance I'm not willing to take." Harry said. "Come one, we need to try and find Hermione."

Harry picked up Ginny's trunk and the three friends apparated back to The Burrow to work out their next move regarding Hermione and her whereabouts.

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**The Palace de Luxe Hotel - Paris.**

Hermione finished tying the large letter to the owl's leg and released it out of the window. Inside the envelope destined for The Burrow were several letters to her friends and the family she loved as her own, each one telling them not to worry about her and she would be in contact with them soon.

After watching the owl fly out of sight Hermione turned around to face the manager of the small wizarding hotel on the outskirts of Paris in which she was staying for the night.

"Merci." Hermione said to the manager, thanking him for the use of two of his owls.

The manager told Hermione she was welcome and after checking there was nothing else she needed he went back to his duties around the hotel. Hermione followed the manager out of the small room where the hotels owls resided on the top floor and headed back to her room.

Swiping the magical key card in the door to the penthouse suite, Hermione entered the large room to find her boyfriend, Draco Malfoy, relaxing on the large king size bed with his eyes shut.

"Did you send the letters?" He asked, opening his grey eyes.

"Yes." Hermione said, perching on the end of the bed. "Are you sure we're doing the right thing?" She asked.

Draco sat up and looked at Hermione closely, wondering if she was having second thoughts about their plan. "Yes, but we don't have to do it if you don't want to." He finally said, hoping his girlfriend wasn't about to abandon their plan.

"I do want to, I want to do it more than anything." Hermione said, reassuring Draco. "But you could potentially lose your entire family."

"We've talked about this, Granger." Draco said, pulling Hermione onto the bed to sit next to him. "You're more important than my father, besides I'm fairly confident he'll come round eventually."

"Really." Hermione snorted, she was having a hard time believing Draco's formidable father would ever accept their relationship.

"Really." Draco nodded. "He may not be the nicest person or the best father but he does love me in his own way, once he sees how happy we are he'll accept us."

Hermione looked at her boyfriend sceptically but decided not to say anything, he did after all know Lucius much better than she did. Hermione also knew that Draco was telling himself that Lucius would accept them as he didn't want to face the possibility of losing his family.

"It'll help that he won't be able to do anything about it." Draco added, noticing Hermione's scepticism. "Once we're married tomorrow, there's nothing father or anyone else can do about it."

Hermione smiled widely at the mention of their small wedding the following day. Most people would think she was mad for marrying someone she had only been dating for a few months but Hermione knew she loved Draco and all she wanted was to be with him.

"Do you want something to eat?" Draco asked, now he was convinced that Hermione had stopped worrying about his father.

"Yes, let's just go down to the restaurant." Hermione said, hopping off the bed.

As Hermione and Draco headed down to dinner, Hermione couldn't help but think that Ron breaking up with her before the start of the new school year was the best thing that had happened to her. If she had still being dating her friend when she went back to Hogwarts she would never have fallen for the blond Slytherin who was now the most important person in her life.

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**A/N - The next chapter goes back to the beginning of the school year and the story really begins. The story is quite fluffy, ****although there will probably be some drama when Draco and Hermione's romance is revealed. I'm not sure how far after everyone finds out I will go, it will depend on how people are enjoying the story and what I'm feeling like but at the minute I'm loving writing this story and have lots of plans for it. Enjoy!**


	2. Back to School

**The Hogwarts Express. 1****st**** September.**

After her brief argument with Ron, Hermione quickly said goodbye to everyone else before she boarded the train, eager to be as far away as possible from her ex-boyfriend. She had barely settled into a compartment when Ginny arrived to sit with her.

"Are you alright?" Ginny asked, sitting opposite Hermione. "I saw you arguing with Ron."

"I'm fine. Your brother was just being his annoying self." Hermione sighed, not really wishing to discuss her break up with Ginny.

Ginny sensed that Hermione didn't want to talk about her brother so she changed the subject instead. "Do you think there will be anyone else re-taking their final year?" She asked.

"I know at least one person who will." Hermione said. "But I'm guessing most people would have just started their lives and careers like Harry and Ron."

After the war and the disrupted school year, most people Hermione knew had chosen not to return to school and since everyone was of age the Ministry and Hogwarts couldn't object. The only person that Hermione knew for definite was returning to re-take their seventh year was Draco Malfoy.

After the war, the Ministry had decided that everything Draco did during the last couple of years was done under duress and they accepted he had never wanted to be a Death Eater. While the Ministry had decided against punishing the youngest member of the Malfoy family with a prison sentence they did impose a few probationary terms on the wizard. One of those terms was that he returned to Hogwarts to re-take his final year and prove to the wizarding world that he had changed.

Hermione and Ginny carried on discussing the possibility of who could return when a knock sounded on the door and a third year Hufflepuff stuck his head round the door.

"Professor McGonagall wants to see you in the teacher's compartment at the end of the corridor." He told Hermione before he disappeared again.

"I wonder what she wants." Ginny mused, trying to think of reasons the headmistress would want to see Hermione.

"I guess I should go and find out." Hermione said, standing up and exiting the compartment.

When Hermione got to the end compartment she knocked and Professor McGonagall's voice called for her to enter. Hermione entered to find the headmistress sitting on one side of the compartment while Draco sat on the other side looking out of the window.

Hermione took the opportunity to look at Draco while he wasn't paying attention. She hadn't seen him since just after the war and Hermione was pleased to see that he looked far healthier than he had back then. He wasn't quite as thin or as pale and his hair was slightly longer, hanging in his grey eyes. Hermione had thought that Draco was attractive since third year when he had a growth spurt and stopped wearing his hair gelled back, not that she had ever admitted it to anyone.

"Miss Granger, please take a seat next to Mr Malfoy." The Professor said, gesturing with her hand. Hermione sat down and waited for Professor McGonagall to explain what she wanted.

"You two are the only students returning to re-take your last year so it's been decided it would be easier if you had all your classes together and shared separate quarters out of the houses dormitories." Professor McGonagall explained. "I know you haven't had the easiest of pasts together but I'm hoping the pair of you can behave like adults."

"Of course, Professor." Hermione said at the older woman's stern look.

"Mr Malfoy." Professor McGonagall stared at the blond until he turned his head to look at her.

"You won't get any problems from me." Draco said quietly.

Draco suspected the change in living arrangements had more to do with the school worrying about his safety in the Slytherin dungeons rather than the fact that there were only two people re-taking their final year. Since the war and his family helping the Ministry with information regarding the Death Eaters, the Malfoy's weren't exactly popular amongst the pure blood community and Draco knew that several of the Slytherins would have tried something with him if he had been in the dungeons.

"Good." Professor McGonagall smiled. She was eager to give Draco a second chance and she was hoping that Hermione, as one of the more rational people she knew, would also give the blond a chance to prove he could change. "After the feast I'll take you two to your new living quarters. You may go now."

After being dismissed by the headmistress Hermione and Draco left the compartment and went their separate ways without uttering one word to each other. While Draco headed back to his own quiet compartment, Hermione headed back to Ginny to fill the redhead in on what had just happened with McGonagall.

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**Hogwarts.**

Draco sat at the end of the Slytherin table keeping to himself throughout the opening night feast. He could feel the scathing looks of his housemates and hear the snide comments they were making about him and his family. Draco found himself hoping that his new living quarters had somewhere he could eat so he didn't have to attend meals in The Great Hall unless necessary.

Throughout the feast, Draco found his attention drawn to the Gryffindor table where Hermione was sitting chatting to the female Weasley. It was odd seeing the Gryffindor bookworm without her two annoying friends, but Draco also figured it must be odd seeing him sitting isolated from his fellow Slytherins.

Draco was surprised to find the idea of living with Hermione for nine months wasn't totally unappealing. He had gotten over his blood prejudice during the war, he had witnessed far too much to believe that anyone deserved the treatment handed out by Voldemort and his supporters. Draco knew that living with the Gryffindor wouldn't be easy as they were both stubborn and opinionated people but he hoped that once he apologised that the malice between them would slowly disappear.

Draco was thrilled when the feast was over and Professor McGonagall dismissed the students for the night. Draco stayed seated as the Slytherin's filed passed him, giving him odd looks as they wondered what he was doing. Ignoring the Slytherin's he watched as Hermione said goodbye to Ginny as the redhead left The Great Hall.

Once nearly everyone had left Draco got up and walked to the door where Hermione was standing waiting for Professor McGonagall. Professor McGonagall arrived at the door a couple of seconds after Draco and ushered the couple out of the hall.

Professor McGonagall led Draco and Hermione to the sixth floor and to a portrait at the far end of the corridor. McGonagall stopped at the painting of a large castle with a small girl standing in the courtyard.

"The password is Hollow. But you may change it if you wish." Professor McGonagall said, as the little girl in the picture giggled and the door swung open.

Professor McGonagall led the pair of them into a decent sized room which was decorated in neutral shades of beige and cream. There were two large white sofa's sitting on either side of a roaring fire and a glass coffee table placed in the middle of them. There was also a large wooden table for studying on standing against a wall and a small alcove which housed some basic kitchen facilities.

"Here are your schedules." Professor McGonagall handed them both a slip of parchment. "As I said before they are identical as you will be attending the same classes. Some of your work may vary from the normal seventh years, as I believe you are both capable of handling more challenging work, so I suggest you stick together in classes."

Both Draco and Hermione looked slightly unsure of the headmistresses suggestion but neither of them said anything as they had only just promised to make an effort to get along a few hours earlier.

"Your bedrooms and the bathroom are up the stairs." Professor McGonagall pointed to a spiral staircase in the far corner. "I'll be leaving you now, good night."

"Good night, Professor." Hermione said, before she turned her attention to examining the rooms she would call home for the next nine months.

After Professor McGonagall left the room an awkward silence descended between Draco and Hermione. Neither had spoken to each other in months and they were both unsure of what to say, the last time they had seen each other was when Draco had thanked Hermione and Harry for testifying for him and his mother after the war. Deciding to escape the tense atmosphere Hermione started to head for the stairs and explore her bedroom.

"Granger, wait." Draco called, stopping the brunette before she started to climb the stairs.

Hermione turned back to find Draco was standing in front of the fire running his hand nervously through his platinum blond hair. When he saw he had the Gryffindor's attention Draco took a deep breath and did something he had wanted to do since he saw Hermione being tortured by his crazy aunt, he apologised.

"I know nothing I can say can ever make up for what I've said and done to you in the past, but I want you to know I'm sorry. For everything." Draco said, not quite able to look Hermione in the eye as he was so nervous she would dismiss him.

"Thank you. Your apology is accepted." Hermione said, surprised that the blond was the first one to bring up their past. She had been planning on talking with the Slytherin about making a fresh start but despite supposedly been a brave Gryffindor she couldn't quite summon the courage to approach the subject. "I want to apologise as well, me and the boys caused our fair share of trouble and stirred things as well."

Draco looked surprised by the apology, while it was true that Harry and Ron had started their fair share of arguments he had never once considered that Hermione would think of apologising.

"Since we'll be spending quite a bit of time together I thought we could start fresh and forget our history." Draco said, watching for Hermione's reaction.

Hermione smiled softly and stuck her hand out. "Deal."

Hermione waited to see if Draco would actually touch her or if his apology was all talk and no action. After standing in shock for a few seconds, Draco reached out and grabbed Hermione's hand. Neither was prepared for the spark of attraction they felt when they touched each other and their eyes locked.

Draco stared at Hermione, realising for the first time just how attractive the brunette witch had become. Draco knew that she had been fairly pretty since fourth year but he had never really looked at her closely. Hermione's once bushy hair fell in soft curls around her shoulders, her skin looked very smooth and unblemished and her brown eyes were warm and friendly.

"Thank you for giving me a chance." Draco said, once the shock of touching Hermione wore off.

Hermione merely nodded, unsure if she could speak as Draco removed his hand from hers and started to head for the stairs.

"Night, Granger." He called as he headed up the stairs to explore his room.

"Night, Malfoy." Hermione replied quietly.

Hermione stood in the common room for several minutes trying to work out what had just happened. It was odd enough that Draco had apologised and behaved in a civilised manner towards her, but what was really confusing Hermione was the pull she felt when Draco had touched her. Hermione hadn't had any physical contact with Draco since she hit him in third year, so she wasn't expecting the tingling feeling that coming into physical contact with him produced. She was also fairly certain that the blond had felt the same as when their eyes had locked for once Hermione had seen more than contempt in Draco's stormy grey eyes.

Shaking her head at her stupid thoughts Hermione climbed the stairs to bed. She had just suffered a traumatic break up with Ron, the last thing she needed was to develop some sort of crush on Draco. Once Hermione was tucked up in bed however, it wasn't her ex she was thinking about, it was the blond boy who was sleeping across the corridor.

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**A/N - I know it's very clichéd to have Draco and Hermione share a room but it's easier for the story if they have close contact with each other. Plus it's simpler for them once they get together to be living together, it helps progress the relationship more quickly and make it easier for them to get serious quickly.**


	3. The First Day

Hermione rushed round her room gathering her things. It was the first morning of classes and she wanted to get down to breakfast to talk to Ginny about the previous night. While Hermione was planning on telling Ginny about Draco's apology and the truce they had called she had decided against telling the redhead about her weird feelings the night before.

Despite Ron breaking up with her, Ginny was convinced her brother was just being an idiot and would come to his senses soon enough and beg Hermione to take her back. When Ginny had shared this theory with Hermione on the journey to school, Hermione had to break it to Ginny that she had no intention of taking Ron back after the callous way he dumped her. Despite telling Ginny that her and Ron were over for good, Hermione had a feeling the redhead hadn't really listened to her and still honestly though one day Hermione and Ron would re-unite.

Grabbing her last book and stuffing it into her bag, Hermione left her bedroom and ran head first into Draco who was just emerging from his own room.

"Careful, Granger." Draco said, grabbing Hermione by the shoulders to steady her.

"Sorry." Hermione said, lifting her head and looking at Draco for the first time that morning.

Hermione was surprised to see the blond was wearing black jogging bottoms and no shirt. In all the years Hermione had known Draco she had never seen him wearing anything so casual and she couldn't help but stare at the sight in front of her. Hermione found herself captivated by Draco and not just at the sight of him looking so casual but at the sight of his pale toned torso that proved the blond kept himself in good shape.

"Is there a problem?" Draco asked, noticing Hermione was looking at him oddly. He slyly looked down at himself checking he had gotten dressed properly, he normally slept naked or in his boxers but he had decided it was better to throw on some clothes before leaving his bedroom.

"No." Hermione shook her head. "I'm just not used to seeing you look so casual."

Draco chuckled quietly, a low sound that Hermione had never heard before but found that she liked. She also liked the small smile that was on Draco's lips, it was the first time Hermione had seen the blond genuinely smile rather than the smirk he favoured.

"Well, I don't exactly wear my best clothes for bed." Draco said.

Hermione nodded unsure of what to say. After a moment's silence the pair of them headed down the stairs and into the common room. Hermione headed straight for the door to head down to breakfast but stopped when she realised that Draco was still in the common room.

"Are you not coming down for breakfast?" She turned round and asked Draco.

"No, I'll have something here. I still need to shower and get dressed before the first lesson." Draco shrugged, heading for the small kitchen.

"Okay. I'll see you in transfiguration." Hermione said, leaving the room.

Hermione had thought about pressing the issue of breakfast but she had noticed the previous night that Draco didn't speak to his fellow Slytherins while at dinner and the majority of them were shooting the blond dirty looks. Hermione had a feeling that her new roommate would be avoiding meals in public as much as possible, maybe once they had gotten used to each other she could work on getting him to attend meals regularly but for now she decided the best thing was to leave the blond alone.

Arriving in the Great Hall Hermione sat down at the Gryffindor table next to Ginny. It was already proving weird being at school without Harry and Ron but luckily having Ginny to talk to was making it easier for Hermione to adjust. Grabbing some toast and smearing it with raspberry jam, Hermione proceeded to tell Ginny about the previous night and the agreement she had made with Draco.

"Wow, I can't believe Malfoy apologised." Ginny said once Hermione had finished speaking.

"Well he did and we're now starting fresh." Hermione said.

"So there'll be no arguing or name calling between the pair of you." Ginny said sceptically. She knew that Hermione was quite feisty when someone annoyed her and the blond Slytherin had always been able to push her buttons.

"No, I'm sure they will be plenty of arguing and name calling. It just won't be malicious and hurtful." Hermione said with a shrug. Hermione wasn't naive enough to believe that her and Draco could live so closely together without some arguments occurring.

"That's a relief." Ginny said with a smile. "I thought the world was ending when you announced a truce with Malfoy."

Hermione laughed at Ginny and helped herself to a second piece of toast. Once she had smothered this piece in jam she turned to Ginny suddenly serious.

"Do you think me giving Draco a chance will affect my friendship with Harry?" Hermione asked Ginny, eager to hear her opinion. The last thing Hermione wanted to do was hurt her best friend as she knew the two boys had a terrible history together. After the war Harry seemed to be understanding of the situation Draco had been put in, but Hermione wanted Ginny's opinion on Harry's reaction to her actions.

Ginny raised an eyebrow at Hermione's use of Draco's first name but chose not to comment on it, instead she chose to answer Hermione's question. "Harry will be fine with it. You know as well as I do that he doesn't think that Malfoy's a bad person, misguided perhaps but not bad."

Hermione nodded in relief, Ginny had confirmed what she herself had thought about Harry's opinions regarding the Slytherin but it was reassuring to hear his girlfriend reiterate her thoughts.

Feeling better about Harry's reaction once she told him of her new agreement with Draco, Hermione spent the rest of breakfast catching up on the Gryffindor gossip with Ginny. After breakfast the two girls went their separate ways, Ginny headed down to the dungeons for Potions while Hermione headed for the Transfiguration classroom.

Arriving in the first class of the year Hermione found that Draco was already present, lounging in a chair at a desk at the back of the room. Thinking about what Professor McGonagall had said the previous night about sticking together Hermione made her way to the desk Draco was sitting at and settled herself down beside him.

When Hermione sat herself down next to him, Draco looked over at the brunette in surprise. He hadn't really expected her to sit with him in any lessons despite what McGonagall had said to them. Draco silently watched as Hermione unpacked the mountain of things she seemed to need for one lesson before he pulled his own Transfiguration book, notebook and quill out of his bag and placed them on the desk in front of him.

Once Professor McGonagall started the lesson a few minutes later, neither Draco or Hermione spoke to each other they just worked alongside each other in silence. Despite now being headmistress McGonagall was still teaching Transfiguration until she could find a suitable person to replace her, which was proving a lot harder than she had originally thought it would be.

At the end of the lesson Professor McGonagall handed out the homework, giving Draco and Hermione a slightly different assignment from the rest of the class. Once dismissed from class Hermione and Draco headed to their next class together, it seemed stupid not to walk together since they knew they were both heading to the same place.

Arriving at their next lesson, Herbology, Hermione was first to enter the greenhouse they had been allocated. Hermione sat down near the entrance to the stuffy greenhouse and after a couple of seconds Draco settled himself down beside her.

After Herbology it was morning break and Draco and Hermione went their separate ways for twenty minutes. As soon as the bell sounded and class was dismissed, Hermione rushed to the library to check out the book she would need for her Transfiguration homework. Draco however headed back to their common room to get his next set of school books. Unlike Hermione who packed for her entire day Draco only packed the books he needed until the next break in lessons, that way he wasn't carrying more than he had to.

The class before lunch was Charms and it was the first class they had shared with the Gryffindors. When Ginny entered the room with Luna she looked questioningly at Hermione who was sitting next to Draco. Luna looked unbothered by the sight but Hermione and Draco had already had Herbology with the Ravenclaw's before break. Hermione only shrugged at her friend as she knew that Ginny would spend lunch time grilling her on her seating arrangement.

Ginny didn't actually spend long grilling Hermione at lunch, as once the brunette witch had explained why she was sitting with Draco in every lesson Ginny accepted the explanation and changed the subject. The easy way in which Ginny accepted Hermione's explanation made Hermione glad that Ron wasn't at school, unlike his sister he would have spent the entire time questioning whether it was wise for Hermione to sit next to the icy blond.

As they were talking about Draco and her new seating arrangement, Hermione wondered if he was alright. When Hermione had asked about whether he would be attending lunch after charms he had said he had things to do and would grab something in their common room. It was becoming increasingly obvious to Hermione that Draco wanted to spend as little time with other people as he could possibly manage, she only hoped that he would eat some of his meals in The Great Hall over the course of the year.

After lunch Hermione and Ginny once again went their own way as they headed off to their respective afternoon lessons. The afternoon lessons followed the same pattern as the morning ones. Draco and Hermione sat together in each lesson and walked together to the next class but neither of them spoke to the other unless it was necessary.

After classes were over both Draco and Hermione headed back to their common room. While Hermione immediately spread her books over the large table and began her homework, Draco headed to his bedroom where he got changed before he lay on his bed reading.

When it was time for dinner, Hermione knocked on the Slytherin's slightly open door and poked her head into Draco's room. Despite what she had decided at breakfast time regarding trying to persuade Draco to attend meals Hermione couldn't resist checking out just how reluctant the Slytherin was to attend dinner. The two bedrooms were the only evidence of what houses the pair of them were in, Hermione's room was decorated in red and gold while Draco's was decorated in green and silver. Personally Hermione preferred the common room in its neutral shades, that way there was no house rivalry in evidence.

"I'm off to dinner, are you coming?" Hermione asked, her eyes scanning the room and finding it was identical to hers, apart from the colour scheme.

"I'll finish this chapter first." Draco muttered, not looking up from his book. He had a feeling that the clever witch standing in his doorway had picked up on his reluctance to mingle with other people.

"I can wait if you want." Hermione offered. She wasn't convinced that Draco would make an appearance at dinner if she left him alone.

"I'm perfectly capable of finding The Great Hall myself." Draco said, more sharply than he had intended.

"Fine." Hermione huffed, offended by the snappy tone Draco had used.

"Granger, wait." Draco called, stopping Hermione as she was leaving his room.

Hermione turned back around to find the blond had placed his book on the bed and was sitting on the edge of his bed.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you." Draco sighed, running his hand through his hair.

"It's fine, I shouldn't have bugged you. It's none of my business if you attend meals or not." Hermione said. She knew she had a tendency to interfere and be bossy but she also knew that Draco wasn't Harry and Ron and he wouldn't just let her tell him what to do.

Draco looked at Hermione for several minutes before he stood up and headed to where Hermione was standing in the doorway.

"Come on then, let's go and get some dinner." He said once he had reached the brunette witch.

"You don't have to." Hermione said. "I don't want to force you into doing something you don't want to do."

"Don't worry Granger, you aren't forcing me to do anything." Draco said. "The days of people forcing me to do something I don't want to do are long gone." He added, a dark look crossing his face as he thought of everything he had been forced to do in the past two years.

"Good." Hermione said, smiling to lighten the mood that had suddenly turned serious.

Hermione and Draco walked to The Great Hall in silence and went their separate ways once they entered the room. Draco stayed long enough to eat something before he headed back to the common room, giving Hermione a small smile as he passed the Gryffindor table. Hermione was pleased, while Draco hadn't been at dinner for long he had still made the effort.

* * *

**A/N - The next chapter jumps to the end of September and it is the start of Hermione and Draco's relationship, which progresses quickly.**


	4. A Blossoming Friendship

By the end of September Draco and Hermione had settled into a routine. After a week of sitting in classes in silence, they eventually started to talk to each other. They also started to do their homework together as they found they could do it ten times quicker if they worked together.

Living together was also proving easier than both had originally thought, while they still fought and bickered it was never too serious and they always apologised and made up quickly to avoid any bad atmosphere. Both Draco and Hermione would openly admit to having formed a firm friendship. While there were something's that they had never discussed, the war being the main topic they avoided at all costs, they had started to open up to each other about their likes and dislikes and what they planned on doing with their lives once they finished school.

On the last morning in September, Draco was sitting at the table reading The Daily Prophet as he had some breakfast. Draco attended dinner every night in The Great Hall and occasionally appeared for lunch but he always had breakfast in the common room.

Hearing Hermione coming down the stairs Draco shut the paper and placed it on a chair, he didn't want Hermione to see the article he had been reading. In the past month Draco had found himself liking the brunette witch more than he had ever thought possible and he knew if she saw the article in the paper she would be upset.

When they had first returned to Hogwarts, Draco had assumed that Hermione was still dating the ginger oaf she had been with all summer, so he had ignored the spark of attraction he had felt when he touched her the first night. However a few days after they returned The Daily Prophet had printed a large article about the couple's break up and since then Ron had become a regular in the gossip section, a different girl on his arm every night. Since he had discovered that Hermione was single, Draco was finding it harder to deny he was attracted to the bossy brunette witch.

Draco had seen how upset Hermione had been by the reports of her ex-boyfriend parading his string of tarts around. Draco had walked in on Weasley's sister slagging him off on more than one occasion over the last few weeks as the redhead was in their rooms quite often as she was Hermione's friend.

Draco knew that Hermione would eventually hear about the story in the paper, but he wasn't planning on being the one to show her.

"Morning." Hermione smiled as she entered the common room.

"Morning, Granger." Draco said, watching as the brunette tried to stuff another book into her already overcrowded bag.

Finally getting the book in her bag and shutting it, Hermione picked it up and turned back to Draco. "See you in first class."

Draco nodded and watched the feisty witch leave the room. After the first day Hermione hadn't tried to force Draco into attending meals but he knew that she always noticed when he did attend.

Once he was sure Hermione had left the room for good, Draco got his paper back out and started to read. In the gossip section was yet another picture of Weasley with yet another slapper on his arm. Draco wasn't sure what these girls saw in the redhead other than the fact he was considered a hero for his part in defeating The Dark Lord. It wasn't the picture of Ron or the article about him that Draco was reading it was the piece after that. He was reading an interview with one of Ron's conquests, she was one of the first girls he had been pictured with after his break up with Hermione and had been seen on his arm on more than one occasion since.

Draco grimaced and scanned over the parts where the girl gushed over Weasley's prowess in bed, he very much doubted the annoying redhead was the stud the girl was making him out to be. It was the hurtful parts about Hermione that Draco was reading, getting angrier as he read the filth that was reported about the kind Gryffindor he was becoming increasingly fond of.

According to the girl who was being interviewed, Weasley had confided in her all about his disastrous relationship with Hermione. Apparently the main reason for their break up was Hermione's lack of interest in sex, according to the article the Gryffindor Princess was a passionless, uptight prude.

Draco snorted as he read the last bit, no one who knew Hermione would ever call her passionless, the girl was the most passionate person he knew. That was one of the reasons that Draco liked to debate things with Hermione, she was always so passionate about what she believed in.

Tossing the paper onto the table, Draco couldn't help but think that Hermione had a lucky escape with Weasley. Obviously the fame had gone to the redhead's head and he thought he was better than he was. The fact that Hermione wasn't interested in sleeping with Weasley was proof to Draco the brunette had better taste than the cheap tarts her ex had been with since their break-up.

After he finished his breakfast, Draco got dressed and headed to his first class of the day. The moment he entered the Arithmancy class Draco heard the whispers about the article in The Prophet. Glaring at the other students he made his way to the desk he shared with Hermione and sat down. While the Slytherin's may not have been intimidated by Draco anymore the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students in the class were and by the time Hermione appeared in the room nobody was gossiping about her anymore.

As soon as Hermione sat down and greeted him with a smile, it was obvious to Draco that the Gryffindor had no idea about the article in the paper, obviously Ginny had managed to keep it from her. For the rest of the morning, Draco stuck with Hermione making sure to glare menacingly at anyone he thought was gossiping about Hermione or might consider saying something to her. Draco was quite surprised when he even managed to intimidate some Slytherins. Having people cower under his icy glare brought back a lot of memories for Draco, some were nice memories while some weren't so nice.

Draco left Hermione alone at lunchtime, he headed back to their common room while she headed to meet Ginny in The Great Hall. Draco wondered if anyone would say something to her without him around but when she entered Potions after lunch she seemed her same happy self.

Hermione smiled at Draco and settled in beside him, waiting for Slughorn to assign the potions they would be making. Once Slughorn had given each pair their potion Draco and Hermione started to get to work, working effortlessly together. While Hermione lit the fire under the cauldron, Draco started to prepare the ingredients.

"Stop." Hermione called, grabbing Draco's wrist as he prepared to slice open a black beetle. "The book says to crush it to get the juice."

"It does." Draco nodded, trying to ignore the spark he felt when Hermione touched his skin. "But you get more juice if you slice it down the spine."

Hermione looked at Draco, wondering if she should believe him or step in and take over the job herself. Draco chuckled at the witch's confusion and used the distraction to forge ahead with his own way of doing things.

"See, more juice." Draco pointed out as he drained the beetle juice into a pot. "There was a reason I beat you in potions for five years." He failed to mention sixth year as he had been so distracted that year even Neville Longbottom could have gotten better results than him.

"I always thought it was because you were Snape's favourite." Hermione teased. At the time it had been a sore point that Draco always had superior results than her in Potions but she had grown up too much to be bothered about who had the higher grades.

"No, it's because I've been making potions since I was five." Draco said, adding the beetle juice to the cauldron.

"You were making potions when you were five?" Hermione asked, shocked that anyone would let a young boy near such dangerous equipment.

"Well it was a children's kit." Draco admitted. "You couldn't get into too much trouble with it. Even the explosions were mainly harmless."

"Explosions." Hermione squeaked, wondering just how Draco had survived his childhood.

"Yes Granger, explosions. They were fun, but never caused any damage." Draco said. He was actually enjoying talking to Hermione about his childhood and he found the witch incredibly easy to chat with. "Unless you count the time I turned my hair green for a week."

"You turned your hair green." Hermione laughed at the image of a small Draco running around with green hair.

"Accidentally." Draco said, laughing along with Hermione. "The potion I was making wouldn't change colour so I stirred it too many times causing it to blow up. Having green hair for a week was the result, mother was furious when she couldn't get my hair back to normal."

Hermione and Draco spent the rest of their double Potions lesson telling tales of their childhood and getting to know each other better. By the time class was over they had received top marks from Slughorn and had found out new things about each other. Hermione had learnt about the sort of things wizarding children played with growing up and Draco had discovered a lot more about muggles.

As double Potions was their only class of the afternoon, Hermione and Draco headed back to their dormitory for an hour or so of homework. Once the rest of the school had finished classes Hermione left Draco to go and visit with Ginny in the Gryffindor common room before dinner.

Draco decided to have his dinner in the common room rather than head down to the Great Hall and he had just finished his meal when Professor McGonagall entered the common room with Kingsley Shackelbolt, The Minister for Magic. Draco knew that Kingsley was here to check his wand for any dark spells or curses. As part of his probation his wand was to be checked at the end of every month to make sure he was no longer involved with dark magic.

Draco quickly gathered up his dirty dishes and carried them into the small kitchen area before returning to the common room and sitting back down on the sofa.

"Mr Malfoy, is everything going alright?" Kingsley asked the young wizard as he sat down opposite him.

"Yes, everything's fine." Draco said, handing over his wand to the ex-auror.

Kingsley had just begun his examination of Draco's wand when the door crashed open and a teary looking Hermione entered the room.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt." Hermione said. She knew about the conditions of Draco's probation and guessed that Kingsley was checking his wand, not that she was sure why the Minister for Magic was doing such a job.

"Are you okay?" Draco asked, noticing the paper she had clutched in her hand.

Kingsley and McGonagall had also noticed the paper and shared a look with each other, they had both read the disgusting story and were appalled that the papers were allowed to print such things about such a sweet girl.

"I'm fine." Hermione said, wiping at the couple of tears that had leaked from her eyes earlier.

"You're clearly not." Draco said, standing up and going to where Hermione stood. "Come and sit down."

Kingsley and McGonagall watched with small smiles as Draco gently guided Hermione to the sofa and took the paper out of her hand as she sat down. Clearly the pair had become quite friendly since the start of the school year.

"You shouldn't pay any attention to that nonsense." Kingsley said to Hermione, flashing her a smile when she looked up at him.

"I know, it's just frustrating when they print lies about you." Hermione said. "Shouldn't you be getting on." Hermione gestured to Draco's wand which Kingsley was holding loosely in his large hand.

"Yes, I'm almost finished." Kingsley said, turning his attention back to the wand in his hand. "As I thought, nothing." Kingsley announced a few seconds later.

Kingsley handed Draco back his wand and after arranging to see the blond in a month the Minister and the Headmistress left the Draco and Hermione alone.

"Why is Kingsley doing your wand check?" Hermione asked. She was genuinely curious as to why someone so important was doing such a menial job and she was also avoiding talking about the newspaper article.

"He volunteered and I would rather deal with someone who actually believes I deserve a chance to prove I've changed." Draco said. Surprisingly he didn't feel awkward in talking about his probation with Hermione. "There were some people on the Wizengamot that felt I should have gone to Azkaban, Kingsley was one of the people who protested strongly against that. When he told me the terms of my probation I promised him I wouldn't let him down and he promised me that he'll support me and give me a chance."

Hermione smiled, she was pleased that Kingsley had fought for Draco so he could prove to people he was no longer the bully who believed that purebloods were superior and muggleborns were worthless.

"Do you want to talk about the article?" Draco asked.

"Not really, it's all rubbish." Hermione said softly.

"But it still bothers you." Draco said with understanding. "Even though it's nonsense it still hurts to have someone say such nasty things about you."

Hermione nodded and looked up at Draco, the blond seemed to understand exactly what she was feeling. "Did you read it?" She asked.

"Yes." Draco said with a nod.

Hermione looked back down at the floor, she had been hoping that Draco hadn't read the hurtful article. For some reason she didn't want him believing the nonsense that the tart Ron had bedded had said about her. Draco reached out and brushed Hermione's hair out of her face, before putting his hand under her chin and forcing her to look up at him.

"You shouldn't pay any attention to what that slapper said. It says more about your idiot of an ex than it does about you. He's the one that looks like the prat for throwing someone as beautiful as you away for those cheap tarts he's pictured with." Draco said, looking into Hermione's big brown eyes the entire time he spoke. "It really just confirmed what I already knew, Weasley is the biggest idiot I've ever met."

Hermione smiled softly at Draco's insult. Even when he was being nice and comforting he couldn't help but throw in a bit of an insult.

"Thank you, for making me feel better." Hermione said, logically she knew it was pointless getting so upset over a stupid story but hearing Draco saying nice things about her had helped her calm down. As she spoke her line of vision dropped slightly to Draco's lips and she had an overwhelming urge to kiss the blond boy sitting in front of her.

Draco noticed where Hermione was looking and wondered what exactly she was thinking as she watched his lips. Unwittingly Draco's tongue licked around his lips as he leaned closer to the brunette witch in front of him. Hermione mirrored Draco's actions, her own tongue wetting her lips, before the pair of them leant forward and brought their lips together.

The kiss was very brief and gentle but both Hermione and Draco felt the immediate attraction between them. They also noticed how natural and right it felt to be kissing each other.

When they pulled apart there was no awkwardness between them. They both smiled softly before Hermione said goodnight and headed for her bedroom. Draco remained on the sofa for a few minutes more, a dopey grin on his face, before he also headed up to bed for the night.


	5. Halloween Treats

Hermione lay on her bed, with a new book propped up in front of her. The book was a muggle novel, some trashy romance, not the boring textbooks everyone assumed was the only thing the brunette read. While Hermione loved to read textbooks and learn new things she also liked to relax with an easy reading book that transported her into a totally different world to the one she lived in.

Finishing her chapter Hermione put her bookmark in her book and placed the book on top of her bedside table. Swinging her legs off the bed she stood up and headed downstairs to the common room to find Draco. She had heard Draco emerge from the bathroom less than ten minutes ago and figured he must be in the common room.

Arriving in the common room, Hermione found Draco lying half-dressed on one of the sofa's with his eyes closed. Hermione knew the blond wasn't asleep as his breathing wasn't deep enough and she had caught sight of the small smirk that had been on his lips as she entered the room. Hermione stood at the end of the sofa watching Draco for a few minutes before she moved to the side of the sofa, standing next to Draco's head.

Hermione bent over Draco, her lips hovering over his, and waited for him to open his eyes. Sure enough within a few seconds his stormy grey eyes opened and locked with Hermione's brown ones. Smiling slightly Hermione pressed her lips against Draco's, kissing him gently. Draco deepened the kiss and pulled Hermione down on top of him.

Once they had stopped kissing, Hermione manoeuvred herself so she was lying next to Draco, her head resting on his chest while his arm was wrapped around her.

"What time's Ginny coming over?" Draco asked.

It was Halloween and Professor McGonagall had decided to hold a party rather than the traditional feast. For the last three weeks it was all anybody could talk about around the school. Well nearly everybody, neither Draco or Hermione was particularly fussed with the idea but Professor McGonagall had somehow gotten them both to promise to attend.

"In about ten minutes or so." Hermione said, snuggling into Draco.

Draco nodded and the couple lay on the sofa in silence, merely enjoying the other's company. After their first kiss, a month ago, Draco and Hermione had both admitted they had enjoyed it and were willing to explore a relationship. They had agreed to take things slowly and decided it was best that no-one knew about them for the time being.

For the last month the couple had gotten to know each other really well and they were both aware that they were really falling for each other. On Hermione's instructions they were also taking the physical side of their relationship slowly, despite indulging in some passionate make out sessions. While Hermione was already more attracted to Draco then she had ever been to Ron, she still wanted to be sure of their relationship before she let things go any further. Draco had been very understanding and had never pushed Hermione for more than she was prepared to give him.

Hermione and Draco were still lying on the sofa when a knock on the door disturbed their peace. Reluctantly the pair disentangled themselves from each other and stood up. While Hermione went to answer the door and let Ginny into the room, Draco headed for the kitchen area to get a drink.

As soon as Hermione opened the door Ginny barrelled through, her arms full with clothes and bags filled with accessories, while she immediately began talking as fast as she could. Hermione rolled her eyes at Ginny and shut the portrait behind the redhead. It was only when she turned round she noticed that Ginny had stopped talking, instead she was gaping at Draco who was in the kitchen alcove.

Draco had his back to the two girls and it wasn't until Hermione noticed Ginny staring that she remembered that her boyfriend wasn't wearing a top. While Hermione had gotten used to the sight of a half-naked Draco it was the first time Ginny had been in their rooms while he was wandering around topless.

"Are we going to get ready or you going to spend the night staring at Malfoy?" Hermione teased her friend.

Ginny blushed and rushed to the stairs, heading for Hermione's bedroom. Hermione followed Ginny, shooting a smile at Draco who had turned round to smirk at her as Ginny fled the room.

"Does he often wander around with no top on?" Ginny asked as soon as Hermione entered her room and shut the door behind her.

Hermione nodded. "You get used to it."

Ginny just gaped at Hermione's blasé attitude to the half-naked Slytherin they had just encountered. Clearly living with Malfoy had changed her, the Hermione Ginny knew would have blushed bright red at the sight and been too embarrassed to face her roommate again.

As Ginny tipped her bags out all over Hermione's bed in preparation of the two girls getting ready the redhead debated the changes in her friend over the past month. When they had first came back to school, Hermione had been withdrawn and upset over her break-up with Ron. But as her friendship with Malfoy blossomed Hermione was happier and more relaxed. Ginny hadn't failed to notice how close Hermione had become to the Slytherin, when school first began they barely spoke to each other but as the weeks progressed they talked more and now they clearly got along with each other very well.

"How many outfits did you bring?" Hermione asked, causing Ginny to re-focus on the task in hand.

"A few, I wasn't sure what to wear." Ginny shrugged, looking at the array of clothes on the bed.

Hermione shook her head at Ginny and started looking at what she had brought as options. Hermione looked through the array of short and tight dresses before she turned back to Ginny.

"Do you own anything more modest?"

"No." Ginny laughed at Hermione. "I'm young so I plan on showing off what I've got, you should try it sometime."

Hermione rolled her eyes at Ginny and turned back to the pile of clothes on her bed. Ginny joined Hermione on looking through the outfits. Ten minutes later Ginny had decided on a very short one shoulder black dress, teamed with a pair of tights designed to look like spider webs.

"What are you wearing?" Ginny asked as she put on her dress.

Hermione went to her wardrobe and pulled out a long blood red dress and turned to face Ginny. Ginny looked at the dress and smiled, it was a typical Hermione outfit, long and modest.

"I'm going to get changed." Hermione said, taking the dress and a small bag that was sitting on her dressing table and heading for the bathroom.

While Hermione was dressing, Ginny did her make-up and hair before she added her finishing touches. All of Ginny's jewellery looked like spiders and she even had a diamond spider clip in her hair, while she had been unsure of what dress to wear she was always going with the spider look to finish the outfit.

Hearing the door opening and Hermione returning Ginny turned round to face her friend and froze with shock. She had been wrong about Hermione's dress being modest, while it was long it was extremely tight fitting, hugging her every curve. The dress had thin straps and was also quite low cut with a long slit up the right side. Hermione had left her long curly hair cascading round her shoulders while her make-up was dark and dramatic. The only jewellery she wore was a pair of red stud earrings and a short necklace with a black heart dangling just below the hollow of her throat.

"Do I look okay?" Hermione asked, nervous because Ginny just looked at her and didn't comment on her choice of outfit.

"You look amazing." Ginny said, unable to believe her friend had dressed so sexily on her own without massive persuasion. "Every guy at the party will be unable to take their eyes off you."

Hermione smiled at the compliment, she wasn't fussed about getting every guys attention she was happy with the one she had. Hermione's choice of dress was mainly for Draco's sake, she knew he wasn't happy about attending the party so she thought she'd give him something to enjoy about the night.

"Come on, let's go." Hermione said, putting everything she might need into a small red bag that hung from her wrist.

Ginny picked up her own bag and the two girls made their way down to The Great Hall. Hermione could hear Draco muttering and cursing as they left her room and headed down the stairs. Ginny asked about whether the blond was attending the party when the two girls passed through the common room and Hermione explained he would show up later so he didn't have to stay too long.

By the time the two girls entered the room, the party was in full swing. The Great Hall was decorated with all sorts of Halloween items and the room was barely lit with only a few candles floating around the room. Against two of the walls were two great big tables full of food and drink, there was an enchanted radio playing as well so most of the floor was filled with dancing students.

As Hermione and Ginny got some food and drinks, settling down an a couple of chairs, Hermione looked around the room at the other students. There was an odd mix of the students who had gone all out and dressed up properly for the party and people like Hermione and Ginny who wore normal clothes but embraced the spirit of the holiday.

"I wish Harry was here, then I could dance." Ginny sighed, watching the numerous couples around the room.

"You must be desperate if you want to dance with Harry." Hermione laughed. While she loved Harry there was no denying her best friend was a terrible dancer.

"Okay, maybe we wouldn't dance." Ginny said, laughing along with Hermione.

Ginny started to talk about Harry as the brief mention of him had made her realise how much she was missing her boyfriend. Someway through Ginny's rambling's about Harry, Luna had arrived to join the conversation. With Luna to keep Ginny occupied Hermione set off for another drink and to look for Draco, who had still not shown up.

Standing at the refreshment table, Hermione scanned the crowds looking for Draco. Despite the room being in darkness she still expected her boyfriend to be easy to find as his platinum blond hair was very distinctive. Sighing with disappointment, Hermione felt someone come up right behind her. She was about to turn round and give them a lecture on personal space, when they leant over to whisper in her ear and she smelt Draco's familiar scent wash over her.

"You look incredibly sexy in that dress." Draco whispered in Hermione's ear.

Hermione shivered at both the words and the obvious lust in Draco's voice. Hermione turned round to look into Draco's normally light grey eyes only to find them dark and eagerly scanning over her body.

"I'm pleased you like it." Hermione said. "I wore it for you."

"Really?" Draco smirked, his eyes still checking out Hermione's curves.

"Yes, I thought you might like to help me take it off later." Hermione replied boldly.

Draco looked slightly shocked at Hermione's boldness as so far despite the passion they felt for each other Hermione had been adamant she wasn't ready for anything sexual to happen.

"You don't have to, I'll wait as long as you want." Draco said, not wanting to force Hermione into something she wasn't ready for.

Hermione smiled at Draco's words, she knew he would never force her into anything she didn't want to do. "I know. I'm not sure if I'm ready to have sex yet but there's other stuff we can do." Hermione said, pleased it was so dark the fact that she was blushing furiously was disguised.

Draco's mouth dropped open and Hermione's words causing the brunette witch to feel more relaxed at the sight of a flustered Draco. Hermione was laughing lightly at Draco's reaction when Ginny and Luna appeared by her side.

"There you are, we've been looking for you." Ginny said before she turned to Draco. "Hello, Malfoy. I see you've gotten into the Halloween spirit." The redhead said, gesturing to the blond's wardrobe.

Hermione really looked at Draco for the first time since they started talking. He was dressed entirely in black, he had teemed his normal dress trousers with a black shirt that looked as though it was ridiculously expensive, which knowing the blond it probably was.

"And I see you've stopped staring." Draco retorted, causing Ginny to blush as she realised he had noticed that she had been mesmerised by him earlier.

Draco chuckled at Ginny's discomfort. He was actually surprised that she was so easily embarrassed as from what he had seen of the Gryffindor she was an extremely confident girl. Hermione gave Draco a pointed look that immediately stopped the blond from laughing as he didn't want to upset his girlfriend.

"Come on, let's go and dance." Hermione said, dragging Ginny and Luna away from Draco.

Hermione gave Draco one final smile before she disappeared with her friends for the rest of the night. After a couple of hours dancing and having fun with Ginny and Luna, Hermione said goodnight to her friends and left The Great Hall wondering if Draco was still around or if he had returned to the common room.

Hermione spotted the blond leaning against the bottom of the stairs when she exited The Great Hall. Smiling at him she walked over to where he was waiting and together they headed back to their common room, both eager for what was going to happen once they were alone in their rooms.

Once they were in their common room, Hermione took hold of Draco's hand and led him towards the stairs. Reaching the landing where the bathroom and bedrooms were situated she headed into Draco's room as hers was still a mess with Ginny's clothes.

Once they were in the Slytherin's bedroom, Hermione dropped Draco's hand and turned to face the blond. Draco smiled at Hermione and moved forward so he could pull her into his arms. Draco gently brushed a stray curl out of Hermione's face before softly kissing the brunette witch. Hermione eagerly responded, wrapping her arms around Draco and tangling her fingers in his soft hair.

Breaking their kiss Draco looked Hermione directly in the eye. "Tell me if I do anything you're not comfortable with."

Hermione nodded and smiled at Draco's thoughtfulness before she pulled her boyfriend into another searing kiss. Draco kissed her back passionately as his hands started to wander over her body.

Draco and Hermione continued kissing for several minutes before they slowly started to undress each other. Hermione was pleased to find she was only slightly embarrassed when Draco slid the thin straps of her dress down her body, letting the material pool around her feet. Even that slight embarrassment faded the moment Draco touched her bare skin, his fingers softly caressing her flesh.

Draco wasn't the slightest bit embarrassed about being naked in front of Hermione, he was too busy being nervous about making sure Hermione enjoyed herself. He knew that Hermione had never done anything like this before and he wanted her first sexual experience to be perfect. Draco was also really starting to care a lot about Hermione and he didn't want her to regret anything they did together.

Falling into bed, Draco and Hermione spent hours exploring each other's bodies and finding out exactly how the other liked to be touched. Finally exhausted the couple fell asleep wrapped in each other's arms in the middle of Draco's large bed.


	6. Flying with Draco

Hermione's eyes scanned the Quidditch pitch hoping the Gryffindor seeker was close to finding the snitch and winning the game. Hermione had hoped that when she returned to school without Harry and Ron she wouldn't have to endure watching Quidditch matches. But Ginny had been made the new captain and had insisted that Hermione come along to the first game of the season to support her.

Because she was a good friend Hermione and agreed to attend the match, which was why she was spending her Saturday afternoon sitting in a cold stand watching a sport she had no interest in when she could have been in a warm bed with her boyfriend. Since Halloween night three weeks ago, Hermione had spent most nights in Draco's room. When she did sleep in her own room Draco also slept in her room with her but the blond said he preferred the colours of his own room so they used his room more often.

Hermione had spent the morning with Draco but after lunch she had reluctantly gotten dressed and left the blond in their common room while she went to support Ginny in the match. Hermione knew she would be expected to attend the after match party in Gryffindor Tower but she was hoping she could avoid staying too long.

When loud screams erupted around her Hermione turned her attention back to the game, hoping that Gryffindor had won. Unfortunately they hadn't, the screaming was for Ginny who had scored another goal, her fifth of the match. Hermione clapped and cheered along with the other Gryffindors, giving Ginny a smile and a wave as the redhead flew past the stand.

Hermione decided to focus on the game as she knew Ginny would want to talk about it after and she didn't want her friend to think she hadn't been watching her. As Hermione was watching she realised for the first time what a talented player Ginny was, she had always known the redhead was a skilled player but if she was honest she hadn't really paid attention to Ginny before. Whenever Hermione had watched Quidditch before all her focus was on Harry and then once Ron started playing she divided her attention between the two boys.

By the time Gryffindor won nearly an hour later, Hermione was very impressed with Ginny's contribution to the game, she had scored two thirds of the teams goals by herself and had assisted in a good few of the other goals.

At the end of the game Hermione made her way out of the stands with the other Gryffindors. As she passed the pitch, Ginny appeared by her side checking she would be in the Gryffindor common room for the party. Hermione reassured her friend she would be waiting for her and set off to the castle, making her way through the morose Hufflepuff's who were off to commiserate over their loss.

Hermione debated whether to call by her own common room first but decided she would only get distracted so it was better to head straight to Gryffindor Tower. Entering Gryffindor Tower with a bunch of celebrating Gryffindors, Hermione headed for a seat near to the window and sat down to wait for Ginny to arrive.

Hermione sat watching the celebrating Gryffindors, while she always felt at home whenever she visited the Gryffindor common room it also always felt weird not to have Harry, Ron and her other friends wandering around the place. Hermione was still sitting watching the festivities when Ginny appeared beside her holding two bottles of butterbeer.

"Hi, Gin." Hermione smiled at her friend as she handed her a drink and sat down next to her. "You were great today."

"Thank you." Ginny said. "It's a lot harder being captain than I thought it would be, though."

"You did a great job, both as captain and as star chaser." Hermione said.

"I don't know about star chaser." Ginny said, blushing.

"I do. You scored most of the goals and were instrumental in most of the others." Hermione said, matter-of-factly.

Ginny blushed again and swiftly changed the subject, telling Hermione about Harry planning to visit Hogsmeade in a few weeks to coincide with a Hogsmeade trip from the school. Hermione let Ginny change the topic of conversation as she was quite happy to talk about Harry and when they would next see him. Hermione wrote to Harry every week and while he knew that her and Draco were friends she hadn't told him about the progression of their relationship but she had a feeling that it wouldn't bother Harry as long as she was happy. While Hermione and Ginny chatted about Harry and some of their other friends they never once mentioned Ron, he was still pictured in the papers every few days with a new girl on his arm but it no longer bothered Hermione as she had moved on.

After spending a couple of hours in the Gryffindor common room with Ginny, Hermione excused herself, leaving Ginny to continue celebrating while she headed back to her own common room. Giving the password to the little girl in the painting Hermione entered the common room only to walk straight into Draco who looked to be on his way out of the room with his broomstick tucked under his arm.

"I didn't expect you back so early. I thought you'd still be with Ginny." Draco said.

"I left her to finish celebrating with the rest of the house." Hermione said. "Are you going somewhere?" She asked, gesturing to the broom in his hand.

"I was just going for a fly, want to come?" Draco asked with a smirk, he was well aware that Hermione hated flying of any sort.

"I don't like flying." Hermione said, even though she knew that Draco was well aware of the fact as it was one of the first things she had told him when they started to become friendly.

"You don't have to fly, you can just watch me." Draco said, even though he was determined to get the stubborn Gryffindor on a broom by the end of the school year.

"Fine." Hermione sighed. She had left Ginny to spend time with Draco, even if it meant sitting outside watching him on his broom. "But I'm not going anywhere near that thing." She added, pointing at Draco's broom and looking at it suspiciously.

Draco chuckled lightly at Hermione's dramatics, she was acting like he was going to throw her on the broom and fly off with her. Once Hermione had made sure that Draco knew she wasn't going to fly, they left their common room and headed down to the Quidditch pitch.

Hermione conjured a blanket and sat down on the pitch as Draco mounted his broom and took off into the air. Like with Ginny earlier, it was the first time Hermione had ever really concentrated on watching Draco fly. She'd always known that he was a good flyer and she had often suspected that if he hadn't tried so hard to beat Harry when they played Quidditch he would have often caught the snitch before Harry, as whenever Slytherin had played another team he was an extremely good seeker that only worried about catching the snitch. Hermione watched the easy way in which Draco controlled the broom, the piece of wood responding to the slightest of movements from the elegant blond.

Watching Draco fly around, Hermione wondered if he was missing playing Quidditch for his house team. When she had asked him about Quidditch the previous week, when Slytherin played their first match against Ravenclaw, he had told her that he hadn't seen the point in trying out for the team as nobody in Slytherin wanted anything to do with him. Hermione had felt bad for Draco that his house had abandoned him because he chose to change after the war and forget all about former prejudices. Hermione hadn't told Draco that she felt sorry for him as she knew he wouldn't appreciate it, instead the couple spent the afternoon in bed, Hermione making Draco forget all about the Quidditch match that was taking place.

Hermione was jolted out of her thoughts as Draco expertly landed his broom inches in front of Hermione. Hermione looked up and smiled at Draco who looked extremely relaxed after his fly.

"Are you sure I can't tempt you into having a go." Draco asked Hermione.

"No, I'll probably fall off and kill myself." Hermione said, with a shake of her head.

"I'll be with you, I won't let you fall." Draco said. "Promise."

Hermione looked into Draco's light grey eyes, that were begging her to agree, and she found herself contemplating the offer.

"I'm not sure, I really hate flying." Hermione said, biting her lip nervously.

"Five minutes." Draco pleaded. "I promise I'll stop if you really hate it."

Hermione stood up and cautiously made her way to the broomstick. Draco scooted back, leaving room for Hermione to climb on in front of him. Hermione slowly mounted the broom, clinging on for all she was worth.

"Do you really promise to stop if I ask?" She asked Draco, squeezing her eyes shut in anticipation of being in the air.

Draco moved forward slightly on the broom, making sure Hermione was secure in his arms before he answered her. "Of course. Just say the word and I'll stop." He said in Hermione's ear, causing the brunette to shiver slightly.

"Are you ready?" Draco asked and Hermione nodded, keeping her eyes tightly shut.

Draco kicked off the ground and slowly the broom started to rise off the ground. Draco slowly few round the Quidditch pitch, while he normally loved speed while he flew he deliberately didn't go too fast for Hermione's sake. Draco was pretty sure Hermione had her eyes shut but he waited until he had left the Quidditch pitch and was hovering over the Black Lake with a stunning view of the castle before he urged her to open her eyes.

"You'll never enjoy flying if you don't open your eyes and see the sights." Draco said, as he flew the broom in gentle circles.

"How do you know my eyes aren't open?" Hermione questioned. She actually felt pretty safe with Draco sitting right behind her but was still unsure of opening her eyes.

"I just do." Draco replied.

Hermione huffed at Draco's cocky response but she slowly opened her eyes. Hermione gasped at the stunning view, the sun was just beginning to set behind Hogwarts and it's grounds illuminating the old castle with the last rays of sunlight.

"It's beautiful." Hermione said, enjoying the view so much she temporarily forgot she was on a broomstick in the air.

Draco mumbled his agreement paying no attention to the view, instead he was watching the brunette witch in front of him. For all her complaining about flying, Hermione seemed quite at ease sitting in front of him.

"Are you pleased you came with me?" Draco asked, placing a delicate kiss on Hermione's neck.

"Yes. While I still don't like flying, I suppose it's bearable with you." Hermione replied. It was the first time she had ever been vaguely comfortable with being in the air and she knew it was all down to Draco's presence.

Draco smirked at Hermione's response. He then placed another kiss on Hermione's neck before he turned the broom around and started heading back to the Quidditch Pitch. Hermione considered closing her eyes when Draco started to fly back but she decided to keep them open to enjoy the spectacular views of the Scottish Highlands. The only time Hermione did close her eyes was when Draco started to bring the broom down to the ground, while she was coping with being in the air she wasn't ready to watch the broom descend.

"We're back on the ground." Draco said, once they had landed and Hermione had made no move to leave the broom.

Hermione opened her eyes to find they were back where they started, right beside the blanket Hermione had been sitting on. Draco helped Hermione off the broom and hopped off it himself.

"Thank you." Hermione turned round to face Draco with a smile.

"You're welcome. Will you be up for it again?" Draco asked as Hermione cleared away the blanket.

"Maybe." Hermione shrugged as they started to walk towards the castle. "It depends how persuasive you can be." She added, flashing Draco a large grin.

"I'm pretty sure I can be very persuasive." Draco said with a wink as they entered the castle.

Hermione laughed and the pair of them headed up the main staircase to their common room. Draco and Hermione were so caught up in each other they failed to notice Professor McGonagall standing in the doorway of a nearby classroom watching them with a smile on her face.


	7. Harry and Hogsmeade

**A/N - I would like to thank everyone for their wonderful support, especially the handful of people who seem to review every chapter of every story I write. It's very encouraging to receive such support. **

**One of my loyal reviewers, shaymars, asked about when the talk of marriage arrives. I'm afraid there's a few more chapter before that, marriage isn't mentioned until chapter 12 and it is prompted by events of chapter 11.**

* * *

Draco wandered along the snow covered streets of Hogsmeade looking in various shop windows. It was a week before the Christmas holidays and he was searching for a present for Hermione. The only other person he had bought something for was his mother, he had ordered her a new crystal ornament for her collection a month ago and had just bought a large box of her favourite chocolates from Honeydukes, but Hermione was proving more difficult to buy for.

Draco had already bought her a first edition of a book she loved but he wanted something a bit more personal than a book, something that would show her how much she meant to him. Draco knew he was falling in love with Hermione but so far he hadn't had the guts to say anything to his girlfriend. Draco knew when they first started dating that he could potentially fall for the feisty Gryffindor but he was surprised by how fast he had done so. The first time he had realised he was falling in love with Hermione was Halloween night when he watched her sleeping in his arms.

Draco had considered telling Hermione how he felt on numerous occasions but he wasn't the best at expressing his feelings. There was also a part of him that was convinced he didn't deserve Hermione and that the brunette witch deserved better than an Ex-Death Eater who was too scared to do anything while she was tortured in front of him. Despite these doubts Draco had no intention of ending his relationship with Hermione, he would stay with the brunette witch for as long as she wanted him.

Draco eventually wandered into an expensive looking jeweller's hoping to find something that appealed to him as a gift for Hermione. Draco looked at all sorts of jewellery with nothing catching his eye until he looked in a cabinet at the back of the store. Sitting on the top shelf was a silver necklace with two hearts intertwined with each other, one of the hearts was studded with rubies while the other one was decorated with diamonds. Looking at the necklace Draco had an idea and called the shop owner over to him.

"Can you replace the diamond heart in that necklace with an emerald one?" Draco asked, pointing to the necklace.

"Yes, I suppose I could." The shop owner said. "But it would be expensive."

"That doesn't matter." Draco said. "Could you have it done before Christmas?"

"I'm not sure, it's only a week and a half away." The man said.

"I'll pay you extra if you can deliver it to me before or on Christmas Eve." Draco said.

The man considered Draco's offer for a few minutes, he knew exactly who Draco was and knew that money wouldn't be an issue for the youngest Malfoy. Deciding it was worth trying to keep the young man happy in case he would provide return custom the man agreed to have the necklace ready for Christmas Eve.

Draco agreed a price and arranged for the man to deliver the necklace to him at Hogwarts on Christmas Eve. Leaving a deposit for the jeweller, Draco left the store and decided to head to The Three Broomsticks for a drink before he returned to school.

Entering the pub, Draco spotted Hermione in the corner with Ginny and Harry. Hermione had mentioned earlier that Harry would be coming to Hogsmeade for the day, but Draco was relieved to see that there was no sign of Hermione's annoying ex. While Draco hoped that Hermione would never take Ron back after the way he had treated her there was a small part of him that wondered if she would pick the redhead she had such a long history with over him if she was ever forced to choose. Luckily there was no sign of him so Draco brushed away any thoughts of redheaded Weasel's and turned around to get served.

Draco had just received his drink when he felt a presence beside him, turning round he came face to face with Harry.

"Potter." Draco nodded.

Draco no longer felt any resentment towards the boy he had been so opposed to in his youth. Draco was well aware that it was Harry's critical evidence and Kingsley's determination to give him a second chance that had kept him out of Azkaban after the fall of Voldemort. Draco had been shocked when Harry had spoken so forcefully for him in his brief trial, the Gryffindor had confirmed that he wouldn't have killed Dumbledore and spoke about how Draco failed to give the trio up at the Manor even though he knew exactly who they were. After Harry's efforts to help save him from Azkaban Draco couldn't find it in himself to hate him, instead he was grateful that Harry was such a good person and had given him a second chance.

"Malfoy. I want to thank you." Harry said, causing Draco to look at him in bewilderment. "Ginny told me how your friendship with Hermione has helped her get over Ron."

"You don't need to thank me, Potter. I enjoy spending time with Hermione." Draco said, being careful not to reveal the true nature of his and Hermione's relationship.

"You've obviously changed a lot, to befriend a muggleborn." Harry said, studying the new and improved Draco. "Hermione's quite fond of you. It's obvious when she mentions you, that you're important to her."

Draco wondered what exactly Hermione had said about him if Harry had picked up on some of her feelings for him. "She's important to me as well." Draco said sincerely.

Harry nodded, he knew from Ginny that the Slytherins had disowned Malfoy for trying to change after the war and that Hermione was his only friend at the school. "Do you want to join us for a drink?" Harry asked.

Draco looked at Harry in shock before he responded. "Yes, thank you."

Draco knew that if things worked out as he hoped with Hermione he would have to get used to her friends. He was already quite used to Ginny as she often visited Hermione in their rooms but this was a chance to find out if he could cope being friendly to Harry. Draco suspected he wouldn't actually have a problem with Harry as he seemed willing to give him a chance but he suspected the other third of their trio could prove to be the problem.

Harry and Draco walked over to where Hermione and Ginny were sitting. Hermione looked surprised when she noticed Draco with Harry but smiled when Harry announced he had invited Draco to join them. While Harry slid into his seat next to Ginny, Draco settled himself next to Hermione.

Draco listened quietly as the three friends spoke about their plans for the Christmas holidays. He already knew that Hermione planned on staying at Hogwarts for the festive period but Harry and Ginny clearly didn't as when they mentioned Christmas at The Burrow Hermione had to tell them she wouldn't be there.

"Is it because of that idiot brother of mine?" Ginny asked when Hermione announced she was staying at school for the holidays.

"Partly." Hermione shrugged. "We all know it'd be incredibly awkward with everything that's happened lately."

Ginny and Harry nodded, understanding Hermione's point. The couple had been hoping Hermione would spend Christmas with them as usual giving her and Ron the chance to work things out, both were confident that Hermione and Ron would one day get back together.

"Are you going home for the holidays, Malfoy?" Harry asked the blond politely.

"No. Mother's off to France for Christmas so I'm staying at school." Draco said.

"Andromeda mentioned something about her and Teddy spending Christmas in France." Harry said. "I didn't realise it was Narcissa she was going with though."

The Black sisters, Andromeda and Narcissa, had recently begun to re-establish their relationship after years of not speaking to one another. It was slow moving but both women were determined to put the past behind them and be involved in the other's life.

"Yes, Mother says things are going pretty well with Andromeda." Draco said, he was pleased his mother was putting herself first for a change and doing something that was important to her.

"Did you not fancy going and getting to know your aunt and cousin?" Ginny asked.

"I decided to let Mother establish her relationship with them first." Draco said. "Besides I'm happy here."

Hermione smiled at Draco's statement, what he really meant was that he was happy with her. "You know, me and Draco should head back to school and let you two have some time alone." Hermione said to her friends.

"You don't have to do that, Hermione." Harry said as Ginny mouthed a silent thank you to Hermione.

"I do." Hermione said, standing up. "I'll see you soon, Harry."

Hermione gave Harry a hug before she gathered up the few shopping bags she had. Hermione said goodbye to Ginny and Draco and Harry politely nodded at each other before Hermione and Draco left the pub.

"Thank you, for making an effort with Harry. I appreciate it." Hermione said as they began the long walk back to school.

"It's the least I could do after all he's done for me." Draco said. "Besides it's something I have to get used to if we stay together." He added, looking at Hermione from the corner of his eye.

Hermione smiled at the fact that Draco had considered a future for them. She had high hopes for a long term relationship with the blond but hadn't been sure if he felt the same, obviously he did.

For the rest of the way back to school Hermione and Draco kept the conversation light, discussing their respective trips to Hogsmeade and what they had been buying. Hermione was surprised when Draco revealed he had only bought presents for his mother, he failed to mention the book he was carrying or the necklace he had ordered. Draco explained that with Lucius in Azkaban and his former friends not speaking to him he didn't have anyone else to buy for.

When they arrived back in their rooms, Hermione and Draco each took their shopping to their respective rooms before meeting back in the common room. Hermione made two cups of steaming hot chocolate in the kitchen while Draco lit the fire and settled down on the floor in front of the roaring flames.

Hermione settled onto the floor next to Draco and the couple talked for a while before Draco asked the question that he had wanted to ask since Hermione had informed him she was staying at school for the holidays.

"Why aren't you visiting your parents over Christmas?" Draco asked. He was hoping he wasn't been nosy but had been intrigued when Hermione's choices for where to spend Christmas seemed to be Hogwarts or the Burrow, there had been no mention of her parents.

"They're dead." Hermione said softly.

"I'm sorry, Hermione. I had no idea." Draco said, mortified he had broached the topic of her parents.

"You weren't to know, it's not common knowledge." Hermione said, smiling sadly.

"I'm still sorry, I should have realised something was wrong as you never mention them." Draco said. He was wondering what had happened to Hermione's parents but didn't want to ask. He assumed they had been killed in the war but it wasn't something he had ever heard mentioned before.

"It's not your fault. Molly keeps telling me I should talk about them more." Hermione sighed, looking into the flames of the fire. "She thinks it might help me move on."

"Do you want to talk about them?" Draco asked, not wanting to push Hermione into anything she wasn't ready for.

Hermione was silent for several minutes before she nodded. Before she started speaking Hermione moved so she was sitting in front of Draco wrapped in his embrace as he leant against one of the sofa's. Feeling better now she was settled in Draco's arms, Hermione proceeded to tell Draco about her parents and things they used to do together when she was younger. She spoke about how proud they were when they discovered she was a witch, and how eager they had been to hear about what she was learning at school. As she was telling Draco how she obliviated her parents after sixth year and sent them to Australia, Hermione broke down in tears.

Draco turned Hermione round in his arms and pulled her to him for a hug. "You don't have to keep on talking, if it's upsetting you." He said, gently stroking Hermione's soft hair.

"I want to." Hermione sniffed. "I've never actually spoken about what happened. Harry and Ron were with me when I found out and they were the ones to explain it to the rest of the Weasley's."

After her small speech Hermione tried to stem the flow of tears while Draco just held her waiting until she felt ready to talk again. After a few minutes Hermione had calmed herself enough to speak.

"A few weeks after the end of the war, once everything was more settled, I decided it was time to go and find my parents and retrieve their memories. Harry and Ron insisted they come with me as they wanted to support me and were worried about potential revenge attacks. I'd already done some research and knew exactly where in Australia my parents had moved to so we had somewhere to start looking." Hermione paused as a few tears rolled down her cheeks as she remembered how excited she had been to be getting her parents back. "A few days after arriving in Australia we found where my parents had worked and where they used to live. At first we thought they had moved but a neighbour told us that they had both been killed in a car accident three months earlier."

"I'm sorry." Draco murmured, hugging Hermione tightly as she started crying again.

Hermione clung to Draco for several minutes, grateful for his comfort, before she looked up at the blond with a tear stained face. "The worst thing is that they died not remembering me, not knowing they had a daughter. And it's all my fault." Hermione voiced the thought's that had been running through her head since she had been told the news, she hadn't even told Harry or Ron she felt that way.

"They might not have remembered you in the end, but you can remember them. That's the important thing. You have years of happy memories with parents who clearly loved you very much, that's what you need to focus on." Draco said softly. "Remember all the good times you had with them and how much they loved you."

Hermione smiled at Draco, despite the tears still running down her face she felt much better now that she had actually spoken about her parents. Hermione decided she would try and follow Draco's advice and focus on the positives rather than the negatives.

"Thank you." Hermione said, kissing Draco softly. "Molly was right, talking has helped."

"I'm pleased." Draco said, running his thumb over Hermione's cheek and clearing away the last of her tears. "You know you can talk to me anytime."

Hermione nodded and gave the blond a hug before she untangled herself from his arms and stood up. Draco also stood up, extinguished the fire and sent the two empty hot chocolate mugs into the kitchen. Without needing to speak Hermione and Draco headed upstairs to get ready for bed as they had been talking for hours.

They each performed their nightly rituals in companionable silence before they both climbed into Draco's large bed. Draco immediately wrapped Hermione in his arms, comforting the witch as the deep grief of talking about her parents was still very much evident in the brunette witch. Hermione fell asleep after ten minutes but Draco stayed awake much longer watching the sleeping witch in his arms. Before he drifted off to sleep Draco made a decision, over the Christmas holidays he would pluck up the courage to tell Hermione that he loved her, hopefully she would say it back but even if she didn't he still needed to tell her how he felt.


	8. Christmas

Late Christmas morning found Hermione lying in bed watching Draco as he slept peacefully beside her. Hermione had promised herself that sometime over the Christmas holidays she would tell Draco exactly how she felt about him. While Hermione was sure the blond Slytherin knew she cared for him she was unsure if he realised that she had fallen head over heels in love with him.

Hermione herself wasn't sure exactly when she fell in love with Draco, but she suspected it really started on Halloween. Despite Hermione not being ready to have sex, Draco hadn't pressured her and they had spent the next few weeks exploring each other's bodies and finding out what the other liked. There had been plenty of other little incidents that helped Hermione fall in love with Draco, but Hermione thought that Halloween night had been a major factor in her falling for the blond.

The first time Hermione was sure she loved Draco was three weeks ago when she had given him her virginity. Because they had already done plenty of other stuff together, Hermione hadn't felt the slightest bit awkward on the night in question. As usual Draco had been gentle and loving with Hermione, only confirming to her that she had done the right thing in waiting for someone she loved to be her first.

Hermione was so lost in her memories she failed to notice when Draco woke up. Draco watched Hermione lying beside him, a small smile on her face, for several minutes before he decided to announce he was awake. Instead of speaking Draco moved his hand from around Hermione's waist and caressed the smooth skin of her taught stomach.

At the feeling of Draco's wandering hands, Hermione turned her attention back to her boyfriend. "Happy Christmas." She smiled, giving Draco a quick kiss.

"Happy Christmas, Hermione." Draco said, pulling Hermione to him for a proper kiss.

As they were kissing, Draco's hand wandered over Hermione's body until it settled on her bare hip. Hermione reached her own hand under the covers and removed Draco's hand from her body as she knew exactly what he had been planning to do with it.

"We have to get dressed, Lunch is in an hour." Hermione said, sitting up and looking around for something to put on.

Surprised it was so near to lunchtime Draco also sat up, picking his watch from the bedside table to check the time. "I can't believe we slept in so late." He said, seeing that Hermione was right and it was nearly midday.

"That's because we didn't go to sleep until the middle of the night." Hermione said, smiling at Draco over her shoulder as she sat on the edge of the bed.

Draco smiled back at the brunette as he remembered the previous night. They had spent the afternoon at Hogsmeade, for once being able to act how they wanted around each other without having to worry about anyone seeing them, before spending the night making love in Draco's bed.

When Hermione stood up from the bed, Draco noticed she was wearing the light grey shirt he had been wearing the previous day. Hermione had developed a habit of wearing Draco's shirts, not that he was complaining as it was extremely sexy seeing his girlfriend wandering around wearing just his shirt.

Hermione got to the door before she turned back to Draco with a smile. "I'm going for a shower, want to join me?"

Draco didn't need to be asked twice, jumping out of bed he followed Hermione into the bathroom where they headed into the shower.

After a long steamy shower Draco and Hermione finally emerged from the bathroom and got dressed. Deciding to leave their presents for later they headed down to The Great Hall for Christmas dinner. Arriving in The Great Hall Draco and Hermione settled down at the small table that was set up in the middle of the room.

Apart from Draco and Hermione there were only another three students that had stayed at school over the Christmas holidays. All three were younger students, one from Hufflepuff and two Ravenclaw's. The rest of the people around small table were the few members of staff that had agreed to supervise the school during holidays.

Throughout lunch Draco and Hermione only had eyes for each other, talking and laughing together quietly. Professor McGonagall watched the young couple throughout the meal with a smile, her earlier suspicions about a blossoming relationship between the pair seemed to be right as Hermione and Draco were in their own little world.

After a large Christmas lunch followed by dessert, Draco and Hermione headed back to their common room for the rest of the day. Sprawling in front of the lit fire they summoned their presents from under the small tree in the corner and began to open them.

On Christmas Eve, Hermione had received a pile of presents from The Burrow, Hermione had sent her presents to the Weasley's with Ginny when she had returned home for the holidays. When Hermione had unpacked them and stacked them neatly she noticed there hadn't been one from Ron and wondered if she had done the right thing in sending him a present. Hermione had debated for a long time whether or not to get Ron a present but in the end she had bought him a Chudley Cannons scarf as she felt mean sending presents for the rest of the family and leaving her ex out.

Draco had also received several packages on Christmas Eve, most were from his mother but one was the necklace he had ordered from the jeweller in Hogsmeade. Draco currently had the necklace and book he had bought for Hermione in his room, he had decided to let her open her other presents first.

Hermione opened her usual assortment of presents from the Weasley's; books, sweets, handmade clothing and even a nice bottle of perfume from Bill and Fleur. Ginny had bought Hermione a lovely charm bracelet with a few nice charms to add to it while Harry had bought her a large box of her favourite muggle chocolates and some vouchers for Flourish and Blotts. Harry had scribbled a hasty note saying he didn't know what to get but Hermione was impressed that he remembered her favourite chocolates and had bought her a large box which was quite expensive.

Draco had a lot less presents than Hermione as he only had gifts from his mother. His collection of gifts was small but they were all things he appreciated. Among his haul there was a couple of books, some of his favourite aftershave, a couple of nice shirts and a large bag of sweets from Honeydukes.

"Do you want your presents from me now?" Hermione asked once they had both finished opening their gifts from home.

"Presents, as in plural?" Draco questioned.

Hermione nodded and summoned two parcels, wrapped in metallic silver paper, from her room. One was a large box that looked fairly heavy while the other one was flat. Hermione handed the two gifts to Draco with a smile.

Draco started with the large box first. Ripping open the paper Draco immediately recognised the box contained one of the most sophisticated and expensive potions kits available. Draco looked at the contents in awe, there was a cauldron that shrunk down to miniature size and various potions ingredients along with a rare potions book which cost a fortune on its own.

"Thank you, it's amazing." Draco said, still stunned by the gift.

Hermione smiled, pleased that Draco had liked the gift. One of the first things he had told her when they became friends was that he loved Potions, he later confided in her that among his father's many businesses was a Potions company and it was his ambition to run it one day.

Carefully placing the potions kit to one side Draco opened his other present, a smile creeping onto his face when he saw the contents. It was a simple gift of a sketchbook and some pencils but it showed Draco how much Hermione listened to him. A month or so ago when they were talking about hobbies he had told Hermione that he used to draw a lot but it wasn't something he had done since before the war.

"I thought you might like to start drawing again." Hermione said, unsure of the gift.

"It's a great gift, both of them are." Draco said, smiling at Hermione. "Thank you."

Draco leant over and kissed Hermione softly on the lips before he pulled back and summoned his own two presents for Hermione. Unlike Hermione he didn't hand them both over, instead he handed her the larger present first.

As soon as Draco handed her the present Hermione knew it was a book. Hermione eagerly tore open the gold paper to see what book Draco had bought her. Hermione gasped when she saw a first edition of her favourite childhood book, Alice in Wonderland. She was surprised that Draco had even remembered she liked the book as she had only mentioned it once, back before they were even together.

"This is a muggle book." She said, shocked that Draco knew where to get hold of muggle things.

"Yes, the woman who runs the bookshop in Hogsmeade helped me buy it." Draco admitted. "I wasn't really sure about where to get muggle books from."

"Thank you for going to all that effort." Hermione said, hugging Draco and giving him a kiss.

"It was worth it." Draco said, watching as Hermione lovingly stroked the cover of the book.

Draco gave Hermione a few minutes to look over her book before he handed her the second gift. Hermione had no idea what the second present was and tore into the paper only to find a dark blue box. Opening the box she found a gorgeous silver necklace with two intertwined hearts. Hermione looked at the hearts in shock, not only were they red and green to represent her and Draco, but she was pretty sure they were real rubies and emeralds.

"It's gorgeous." Hermione whispered. "It most have cost a fortune."

"You're worth it." Draco said seriously.

"Will you help me put it on?" Hermione asked, removing the necklace from the box.

Draco took the delicate silver chain from Hermione's hands and as the brunette moved her hair out of the way he placed it round her neck and fastened it. Hermione turned round to face Draco, her fingers playing with the two hearts that were resting on her chest.

"Thank you, I love it." She said.

"I'm pleased." Draco said with a smile.

Draco and Hermione sat looking at each other for several minutes, both wondering the same thing. How to tell the other one that they were in love with them. Draco was the first one to summon the courage to speak, while Hermione was still debating on what exactly to say Draco decided to opt for the direct approach.

"Hermione, I love you." Draco said, desperately hoping he wasn't about to have his heart broken with his less than romantic declaration of love.

Hermione looked shocked for a couple of minutes before she broke out into a wide smile. "I love you, too." She declared, throwing her arms around Draco's neck and kissing the blond deeply.

Thrilled to have had a positive response to his declaration, Draco tangled his hand in Hermione's thick hair and pulled the brunette closer to him. After a few minutes of kissing, Hermione reluctantly tore her lips away from Draco's needing air.

"I've being dying to tell you I loved you for weeks, I just hadn't found the courage." Hermione admitted once she could breathe again.

"Me too." Draco said, looking into Hermione's eyes. "I've never said that to anyone before and it was quite possibly the most nerve wracking thing I've ever done."

Hermione smiled at her boyfriend, she understood that he had been brought up to never show his emotions and that it had taken a lot for him to open himself up to her like he had just done. All of a sudden Draco reached out and pulled Hermione so she was sitting on his lap.

"I think we should stop being so serious and have some fun." Draco said, moving Hermione's hair away from her neck and peppering it with light kisses.

"I like the sound of that." Hermione said, turning her head so she could kiss Draco properly.

Within minutes things became a lot more heated in the common room as clothes started flying off, carelessly getting thrown around the room in the couple's eagerness to be together.


	9. Back to Reality

The snow swirled around Hogwarts creating a peaceful blanket of white all around the castle. Hermione and Draco sat at the top of the Astronomy Tower, looking out over the undisturbed grounds. In less than an hour the peace would be disturbed as The Hogwarts Express was due back at the school, bringing with it all the students returning from their Christmas holidays.

Hermione had first suggested visiting the Astronomy Tower very early in the holidays but it had taken her days to finally convince Draco to return to the Astronomy Tower as it held so many bad memories for the blond Slytherin. When Draco eventually gave in to Hermione's pestering he thought he wouldn't be able to finish climbing the stairs, as soon as he started up them visions of the night in sixth year assaulted him. Hermione had eventually coaxed the blond up to the top of the Tower where he had stood frozen for several minutes as he relived the night of Dumbledore's death.

Hermione had been worried about Draco's reaction but when she said they should leave Draco insisted they should stay and he should face his past. After sitting in silence for nearly half an hour Draco did something he had never done before, he actually spoke about what happened during sixth year and how he had felt. Draco confided in Hermione how terrified he had been that year and how close he had come to visiting Professor Dumbledore and begging him to protect him and Narcissa, but fear of what Voldemort would do if he found out had stopped him.

When Draco spoke about the night of Dumbledore's death he became visibly upset but Hermione just wrapped her arms around him and let him speak. She knew from when she had spoken about her parents that she had felt so much better afterwards and having Draco comfort her had been a great help, she was hoping it would work the same way for her boyfriend. Finally speaking about the horrific night seemed to help Draco come to terms with what had happened, making him more comfortable to be in the Astronomy Tower. It had since become a regular habit for the couple to visit the Tower and admire the grounds below.

"I can't believe the holidays are nearly over." Hermione sighed, leaning against Draco.

"It'll be weird not being able to spend so much time together in the open." Draco said. All holidays the couple had wandered around Hogwarts together without having to worry about people seeing anything as there were only a handful of people in the school.

"We can still spend time together but we'll just have to be more careful how we act." Hermione said. At the beginning of their relationship they had both agreed to keep it private but Hermione was now wondering if Draco was regretting that decision.

"I suppose." Draco shrugged. He knew he wouldn't be spending too much time with Hermione in public as he didn't trust himself not to accidently give their relationship away.

"We can tell people if you would prefer." Hermione said, sensing Draco wasn't happy with keeping them a secret.

The only people who knew about their relationship was Kingsley and McGonagall. Hermione had suspected for some time that the headmistress was aware of their relationship but wasn't sure until Draco's latest check with Kingsley. McGonagall and Kingsley had arrived early to the appointment in Hermione and Draco's common room and had walked in on the pair of them kissing heatedly on the sofa. Hermione and Draco had initially been relieved they were fully clothed but then they started worrying about what Kingsley and McGonagall would think and if they would say anything. Both Kingsley and McGonagall had reassured the young couple that the wouldn't say anything as it wasn't their business, but they did both say that they were very happy for Hermione and Draco and that they thought they made a good couple.

"I think we're better off keeping it to ourselves. We both know our relationship's going to cause trouble with some people so I say we avoid any nastiness for as long as we can." Draco said. Draco was thinking of his father when he spoke, he was still thinking of ways to convince Lucius to accept Hermione as part of his life but so far he was failing miserably.

"I think that's the best idea." Hermione admitted. "I'm not ready for people trying to spoil out happiness."

Hermione knew that there would be several people who would object to her relationship with Draco, Ron and Lucius immediately sprung to mind, but she wasn't ready to deal with them yet. At the minute Hermione wasn't sure if their relatively new relationship was strong enough to endure the pressure they would come under but she was hopeful by the end of the school year that they would be strong enough to survive anything that was thrown at them.

With talk of making their relationship public knowledge over the couple continued to look out at the snow covered grounds. Ten minutes later the first carriages arriving from Hogsmeade Station started making their way towards the school depositing large numbers of chattering students onto the premises shattering the peace and quiet. Within fifteen minutes all the carriages had dropped off all the students and Hogwarts was once again at full capacity.

Once everyone was back at school Draco and Hermione made their way down from the Astronomy Tower so they could attend dinner. Hermione was looking forward to seeing Ginny but she wasn't particularly eager to leave Draco alone with a bunch of Slytherin's who disliked him. The moment they left the Astronomy Tower Draco and Hermione were very careful not to be over friendly with each other as there was now a school full of students that could potentially see them together.

When they arrived at The Great Hall they went their separate ways. Draco headed over to the Slytherin table where he sat at the very end as far away from everybody as he could get while Hermione headed to the centre of the Gryffindor table where Ginny was furiously waving at her.

"Hermione, I've missed you." Ginny squealed, hugging Hermione as the brunette witch approached her.

"I've missed you too, Gin." Hermione smiled as she settled down at the table. "Did you have a good Christmas?" She asked her friend as the food suddenly appeared on the table.

As the two girls began filling their plates with food, Ginny began regaling Hermione with tales of Christmas at The Burrow. Listening to Ginny speak about her family, Hermione realised how much she had missed the large family of redheads over the festive period. While she may have missed Harry and the Weasley's, Hermione also knew she wouldn't have swapped the Christmas she had shared with Draco for anything.

"Ron was asking about you." Ginny said casually, once she had filled Hermione in on the latest gossip.

"Was he?" Hermione asked. "What did you tell him?"

"Not much, I just said you were fine and were studying hard as usual." Ginny said. She didn't think it was wise to tell Hermione that she had told Ron to stop being a man-whore and work on getting Hermione back, advice she hoped her brother would take.

Hermione nodded and changed the subject as she didn't wish to discuss her ex-boyfriend. While she was very much over Ron and had moved on she was still hurt by the way he had treated her considering they had been friends for so long. Hermione was hoping that one day her and Ron could be friends again but she knew her relationship with Draco could prove problematic with that as Ron was less forgiving than her and Harry and was perfectly capable of holding onto childhood grudges.

After nearly half an hour of the feast Hermione noticed Draco stand up and leave the room, throwing her a quick smile as he left.

"I see you and Malfoy are still getting along." Ginny said, noticing the smile her friend and the Slytherin had shared before he left the meal.

"Yes, we're getting along great." Hermione said, unable to keep the smile from her face as she spoke about Draco.

Ginny murmured an agreement but was watching Hermione closely. If she wasn't mistaking Hermione was developing a crush on the Slytherin. The idea of Hermione getting romantically involved with the blond Slytherin wasn't something that Ginny was opposed to but she was still harbouring hopes of a reunion between her brother and his ex. Ginny decided she would have to keep an eye on Hermione and hope that Ron managed to fix his relationship with her before she moved on.

After dinner Hermione found herself being accompanied by Ginny as she headed back to her rooms. Somehow the redhead had managed to invite herself to spend time with Hermione in her room as there was something she wanted to talk to her about and Hermione was at a loss as to how to say no to her friend without offending her. The best Hermione could hope for was that Ginny wouldn't stay too long and that Draco wouldn't be too mad at her for bringing Ginny back to their rooms.

Arriving at her dormitory Hermione gave the little girl in the picture the password and the door swung open revealing the cosy common room. Hermione had been worried that Draco might not realise Ginny was with her and greet her in a way that would reveal their relationship but luckily Ginny had talked nonstop from The Great Hall and was still going as they entered the common room. There was no way that Draco could fail to notice the redhead's presence.

When Hermione and Ginny entered the common room Draco looked up from his place on the sofa where he was reading a book. He looked surprised to see Ginny but he didn't comment on her presence, he merely raised a questioning eyebrow at Hermione who shrugged in response before he returned to his book. Ginny was totally oblivious to the exchange as she was describing her Christmas present from Harry, a matching necklace and earring set, in great detail.

After finishing her description of her present, which Hermione didn't need as she had already seen the jewellery that Ginny was wearing, Ginny looked around the room suddenly spotting Draco on the sofa.

"You didn't say Malfoy would be here." Ginny whispered rather loudly to Hermione.

Hermione rolled her eyes at Ginny, she was sure that Draco had heard every word as the redheaded witch was unable to speak quietly. "He lives here." Hermione responded in her normal voice, not even pretending to whisper.

Ginny shot Hermione a panicked look before turning her attention back to the blond who was sitting in the same place seemingly oblivious to the two Gryffindor's conversation. Draco had actually heard every word as Ginny hadn't exactly been discreet in her whispering about him but he choose to ignore the redhead and continue with his reading.

"Let's go to my room." Hermione said to Ginny.

Heading upstairs Hermione wondered what state her room was in as she couldn't actually remember the last time she had spent any significant time in her room. When she opened the door Hermione was relieved that it seemed fairly neat and tidy and there looked to be no evidence that Draco also occasionally used the room. Hermione knew that there was plenty of evidence of her presence in Draco's room but because they used his room more often there wasn't many of his belongings in her room.

Ginny plonked herself on Hermione's bed and waited until Hermione had settled down beside her before she spoke. "There's something I have to tell you."

"You mentioned it before, hence why we're in my room for privacy." Hermione said. She had no idea what Ginny wanted to talk to her about but the redhead had been grinning manically since she mentioned wanting to talk to Hermione.

"Harry and I, did it." Ginny said in an excited tone.

"Did what?" Hermione asked, before it suddenly dawned on her what Ginny was actually saying. "Oh, that."

"Yes. It was wonderful." Ginny sighed.

"Please don't give me any details, Harry's like a brother to me and there are some things I really don't need to know." Hermione said quickly, hoping to stop Ginny in her tracks if she was about to go into intimate details.

"Spoilsport." Ginny stuck out her tongue at Hermione. Ginny had been looking forward to giving Hermione all the details but she should have realised that Hermione was too straight laced to talk about sex.

"I just don't want to know the gory details." Hermione said. "But I'm very happy for you."

"Thanks. Don't worry I won't tell you anything that makes you uncomfortable." Ginny said, wondering what exactly she could get away with discussing.

As Ginny debated which parts of her sex life she could share with Hermione, the brunette was wondering how on earth Ginny and Harry found time alone together to progress their relationship. Hermione knew from years' worth of experience that The Burrow was always a hive of activity with people coming and going. Hermione also knew from last summer that Molly was wary of leaving her teenage children alone with their partners, she had kept a constant eye on the two couples over summer to make sure nothing untoward happened.

Ginny eventually decided to tell Hermione about the night with Harry and the brunette could interrupt her is she became too uncomfortable. Hermione warily listened to Ginny speak, relaxing when she realised that Ginny was only interested in talking about the emotional side of things rather than talking about the actual physical activity that had taken place.

Ginny stayed in Hermione's room talking for several hours until she eventually decided it was getting late and she should go to bed. As Hermione was showing Ginny out she wasn't surprised to find that there was no sign of Draco, he had probably gone to bed a long time ago. Once Ginny had left Hermione visited the bathroom before she entered Draco's room to find the blond fast asleep in his large bed. Stripping off her clothes, Hermione crawled into bed beside her boyfriend and quickly fell asleep.


	10. Ginny's Opportunity

"Please." Hermione said, pouting at her boyfriend.

"If I'm not willing to attend Quidditch matches in the Slytherin stands what makes you think I'll come and sit with a bunch of Gryffindorks." Draco said, trying to remain unaffected by his pouting girlfriend who was currently sitting straddling his lap wearing only her Slytherin green underwear.

"Because I'll make it worth your while." Hermione said, wriggling slightly on Draco's lap causing him to harden underneath her.

"You don't even like Quidditch, so what's the big deal?" Draco asked, grabbing Hermione by the hips to stop her moving.

"I'm going to support Ginny. She's really nervous about the scouts that'll be at the match." Hermione said.

Hermione had originally told Ginny she would only be attending the first game but just after Christmas break McGonagall had announced that a couple of top Quidditch agents would be attending the next two games looking for fresh talent. The four house teams had then gone training mad and Hermione had barely seen Ginny over the last month as she prepared for the upcoming match against Ravenclaw. McGonagall had arranged for the two matches to take place over one weekend, Slytherin vs. Hufflepuff had taken place the previous afternoon and in fifteen minutes Ravenclaw vs. Gryffindor was about to begin.

"If I agree, and I haven't done so yet, I am not cheering for Gryffindor." Draco said.

Hermione smiled widely knowing she had convinced Draco to accompany her to the match. "Thanks, sweetheart." She said, giving Draco a long passion filled kiss.

"I haven't agreed yet." Draco grumbled once Hermione had pulled away from him.

"We both know you will though." Hermione said, smiling sweetly as she got off Draco's lap.

"Do we now." Draco smirked, leaning back on his bed and enjoying the view as Hermione bent down retrieving her clothes off the floor.

"Yes, now get dressed and meet me in the common room in five minutes." Hermione said, gathering her clothes and leaving Draco's room.

Draco got off his bed and began getting dressed muttering about bossy, domineering girlfriends the entire time. Draco was well aware that Hermione had him wrapped around her little finger as she could convince him to do almost anything, which was how he was finding himself getting ready to go and watch Gryffindor playing Quidditch. Checking his appearance, Draco grabbed his jacket and scarf and headed down to the common room to meet Hermione.

"You can't wear that." Hermione said, pointing to the scarf in his hand as soon as he entered the room.

"Why not?" Draco asked, even though he knew what Hermione's problem was.

"Because it's Slytherin colours, you can't wear Slytherin colours in the Gryffindor stands." Hermione protested.

"I'm a Slytherin. My house may not want to associate with me but it's still my house so I'm wearing the colours." Draco insisted, hanging the scarf round his neck. "Besides aren't you wearing Slytherin colours."

"That's different." Hermione huffed, wishing she'd worn a different set of underwear today. "Nobody will see what I'm wearing underneath my clothes."

Draco smirked at Hermione a cocky answer on the tip of his tongue but a withering glare from Hermione had him biting back the retort he was about to utter.

"At least you're not playing Slytherin." Draco said. "Me wearing my scarf would have been far worse then."

"I suppose." Hermione muttered. She knew that if Gryffindor were playing Slytherin even her impressive persuasion powers over Draco couldn't have gotten the blond to attend the game with her. "Come on, we're going to be late."

Hermione led the way down to the Quidditch pitch and into the Gryffindor stands. Draco attracted lots of attention as he settled down beside Hermione, but the brunette was shooting icy stares at anyone who looked like they were planning on complaining about her boyfriend's presence in the stand. At the frosty looks he was getting from the Gryffindors surrounding him Draco decided the best way to get through the afternoon was to keep his head down and remain silent.

Draco's presence in the Gryffindor stand was forgotten a few minutes later when the two teams flew onto the pitch for the beginning of the game. Draco noticed Ginny's surprised look and the question she wordlessly voiced to Hermione when she spotted him next to the brunette witch. Draco smirked at the redhead's obvious confusion, she had absolutely no subtlety about her at all.

Once the game got under way Draco found himself surrounded by a mass of screaming Gryffindor's, much to his distaste. Draco had always known the Gryffindors were the loudest spectators at the matches but until he was among them he didn't realise how ear-splitting the noise really was.

"Are you okay?" Hermione asked, leaning close to Draco so he could hear her. She had noticed how much more uncomfortable her boyfriend was looking now the match had started and the noise surrounding them had grown.

"I'm fine. You're just lucky I love you enough to put up with this hysterical crowd." Draco said, speaking quietly in Hermione's ear so he couldn't be overheard.

Hermione smiled at Draco's words and turned back to focus on Ginny and the game. Despite Draco telling her he loved her quite often since the first time he had said it on Christmas day Hermione still got butterflies in her stomach whenever he said the three little words. Hermione knew enough about Draco's upbringing to know how hard it was for him to express his feelings so openly so she appreciated it every time he declared his love for her.

For the next hour the Quidditch match raged on, with Gryffindor keeping a healthy lead due to Ginny's constant scoring. Despite himself Draco found himself being drawn into the game and he actually found he was enjoying watching a game when he had no vested interest in the outcome. Draco was extremely impressed by Ginny's skills and he was sure that if she had played for anyone other than Gryffindor he would be cheering every goal she scored. But Draco's inner Slytherin couldn't bring himself to cheer for his rival house despite his girlfriend being from Gryffindor.

It was another hour before the two seekers spotted the snitch and a race for the finish was suddenly underway. The whole crowd held its breath as the two rival seekers raced towards the ground and the snitch, the Gryffindor seeker emerging victorious. As the Gryffindor's erupted in celebration Hermione waved to Ginny to congratulate her before she gestured for Draco to follow her out of the stand before the rush of the departing crowds.

Draco and Hermione made their way away from the Quidditch pitch, going for a stroll around the grounds before they headed back to their rooms, Hermione had already informed Ginny she wouldn't be attending any parties after the game.

"Ginny's a really good player." Draco said as they entered their common room. "Shame she's a Gryffindor."

Hermione stuck her tongue out at Draco and collapsed onto the sofa. Draco sat next to her and immediately pulled the brunette witch onto his lap.

"Are you sure you want to get this close to a Gryffindor?" Hermione asked, as Draco ran his hands over her body.

"I'm sure I can make an exception for you." Draco said, lightly kissing the side of Hermione's neck. "Didn't you mention you would make it worth my while attending the match?" He asked with a smirk.

"That was before you started to insult my house." Hermione said, looking at the blond with a stern look on her face.

"I admitted that Ginny was a good player." Draco pointed out.

"Yes but then you went on to add it's a shame she's a Gryffindor." Hermione said, removing herself from Draco's lap and settling down on the sofa beside him.

"Fine, I'm sorry I insulted your house." Draco said, rolling his eyes.

Hermione tutted at the sarcastic apology but knew she wasn't going to get any better. She also knew that Draco's insults had just been old fashioned house rivalries and that he actually had nothing against Ginny, in fact Hermione had gotten her boyfriend to admit he quite liked the redhead and her forthright ways.

"Since you've apologised I suppose I might consider thanking you for attending the match with me." Hermione said.

"Only might." Draco said, quickly moving so he had Hermione pinned under him on the sofa. "You made a promise."

"Then I better keep it then." Hermione said, pulling Draco down for a kiss.

Draco deepened the kiss, tangling his tongue around Hermione's as his hand starting making its way under Hermione's jumper. As Draco moved his head so he was focusing his attention on Hermione's neck, the brunette contemplated the fact she was supposed to be thanking Draco but she was enjoying her boyfriend's attentions too much to protest.

A knock on the door and Ginny yelling Hermione's name put a stop to the couples activities just as Draco was about to remove Hermione's jumper.

"Do you think if we ignore her she'll go away?" Draco asked, still lying on top of Hermione.

Hermione shook her head and pushed Draco off her so she could answer the door. Both Hermione and Draco straightened their clothes before Hermione headed to the door and opened it, letting an excited Ginny fly into the room, talking at top speed.

"Gin, calm down I can't understand a word you're saying." Hermione said to her overexcited friend.

"After the match McGonagall called me to her office and when I got there one of the agents was waiting and he offered me a contract with them." Ginny squealed, practically jumping up and down in excitement.

"Did you sign?" Hermione asked, wary of Ginny signing anything without checking it thoroughly.

"Not yet." Ginny said, producing a piece of parchment from her pocket. "The agent says I have two days to sign the form or the offer will be automatically recalled."

"Wow, do you know what you're going to do?" Hermione asked, sitting down on the sofa next to Draco who was watching the conversation with interest.

"I think I'm going to sign. McGonagall checked the contract and she says everything's all laid out clearly so all I have to do is read it and if I'm happy with it, sign it." Ginny said.

"What about your parents, what will they think?" Hermione asked, she knew that Molly and Arthur loved their children and just wanted them to be happy but she also knew they would probably prefer Ginny to have a more stable job.

"Knowing mum and dad they'd probably tell me to wait until I finished school before I make any decisions." Ginny admitted.

"Can I look at the contract?" Draco asked, eying up the piece of parchment in Ginny's hands.

"Sure." Ginny handed the contract over to Draco who immediately began to read it.

"Damn, this contracts for a deal with Quidditch Elite." Draco said sounding extremely impressed.

Hermione was totally baffled by why that was so impressive but Ginny explained it to her. Quidditch Elite was the top Quidditch agents in the country and the majority of their clients were the major stars of the Quidditch League, they hardly ever represented fresh talent.

"What do you think I should do?" Ginny asked Draco. Ginny knew that growing up in the wizarding world that Draco would understand the significance of the contract more than Hermione.

"In my opinion, I think you should sign the contract." Draco said after thinking carefully. "They're offering a great deal and how many people can honestly say they have the talent to not only play professional Quidditch but to have the best agents in the business representing you."

"That's what I thought." Ginny grinned at the blond Slytherin, delighted he had backed up her gut instinct on the subject.

Ginny took the contract off Draco and read it thoroughly before she asked Hermione for a quill.

"Are you sure about this?" Hermione asked, hovering by Ginny's side with a quill in her hand.

"Yes." Ginny said, taking the quill of Hermione. "All I'm committing to is signing up to be represented by the agency, if they don't find me a club to play for then nothing will happen."

"What about school?" Hermione asked, wondering if Ginny would be dropping out.

"I made it clear I was finishing school." Ginny said, flashing Hermione a smile at the sentiment. "They'll start putting feelers out now but nothing will really happen to June once I've graduated."

Hermione looked a lot more relieved at the thought of Ginny finishing school before she embarked on a professional Quidditch player. At least if things didn't work out for Ginny she had her education to fall back on.

Ginny scanned the contract one final time before she signed her name at the bottom with a flourish. The minute the quill left the page it shimmered brightly and disappeared. Both Hermione and Ginny looked shocked until Draco explained that since it was a magical contract it would have automatically returned to the agents office to be processed and filed legally.

"I have to go and write to Harry and the family." Ginny said, standing up from her seat. "Thanks for the advice." She called as she ran out of the room.

"What's wrong?" Draco asked Hermione once Ginny had left the room.

"Nothing, I just hope we did the right thing in letting Ginny sign the contract." Hermione said. She was already imagining Molly shouting at her for letting Ginny sign the contract without speaking to her first.

"We didn't let her. It was Ginny's choice." Draco said. "She's of age so it's really nothing to do with anyone else."

"I know, I just hope her family won't be mad at her." Hermione sighed.

"They shouldn't be, they should be proud that she's good enough to turn professional." Draco said.

Hermione nodded but sat deep in thought, hoping the Weasley's would support Ginny in her chosen career.

"Enough worrying about Ginny. We were in the middle of something before she interrupted us." Draco said, throwing Hermione a longing look.

"Were we?" Hermione asked innocently. "You might have to refresh my memory as I can't quite remember."

Draco leant over to the other side of the sofa and gave Hermione a gentle kiss. As he moved to pull away Hermione wrapped her arms around Draco's neck and pulled him closer to her.

"I think it's starting to come back." Hermione whispered, brushing her lips over Draco's.

Draco smirked into the kiss and manoeuvred them so they were lying in exactly the same position then had been in when Ginny had interrupted them earlier. As Draco once again ran his hand up under Hermione's jumper caressing her soft skin he hoped that they would have no more interruptions for the night.


	11. Unexpected News

Hermione stifled a tired yawn as she poured herself another cup of coffee. It was breakfast time and Hermione was beginning to think she should have stayed in her room and had breakfast with Draco.

"You look tired." Ginny commented from beside her.

"I was up late studying." Hermione replied.

Ginny was actually the reason that Hermione had chosen to attend breakfast. At the minute the two girls were so busy that they barely saw each other apart from meal times so Hermione didn't like to miss meals. Ginny seemed to spend all her time practising Quidditch now she had a potential career in the sport while Hermione had very little time for her friend between studying and spending time with Draco.

"You work too hard, you need to relax and have fun." Ginny said, biting into a third piece of toast.

Hermione smiled at her friend, while she had been up late studying the reason it had taken so long to get her work done was because Draco kept distracting her. Hermione hadn't complained at the time but she was now regretting letting Draco distract her so much that her homework had taken half the night to finish.

"You're one to talk, I never see you these days you're always practising." Hermione said to Ginny.

"I know, sorry." Ginny said. "Maybe we could hang out this weekend."

"Sure." Hermione said.

Hermione had been pleased when Ginny's family had reacted positively to her decision to sign with the Quidditch agents. The only people to grumble were Percy and Ron, Percy thought that Ginny should be more responsible and get a proper job while Ron had just been jealous of the opportunity his little sister had received.

Hermione was interrupted from her thoughts by Ginny asking what they should do over the weekend.

"I don't know, there's a Hogsmeade trip on Saturday." Hermione said.

"That's Saturday sorted then. I could always stay in your dorm on Saturday night and we could have a sleepover." Ginny said as she excitedly started to plan the weekend.

Hermione listened to Ginny in shock, it was one thing to spend some time with Ginny but she wasn't sure she wanted to spend the entire weekend with her friend and abandon Draco. After listening to Ginny make plans throughout the rest of the meal Hermione told her friend she would think about the idea, before they headed to their first class of the morning.

Arriving in Charms, Hermione slipped into her seat and waited for Draco to appear while Ginny took her own seat near the front of the classroom. Hermione was usually the first to arrive at their first class of the day and her boyfriend would often make it to class with only seconds to spare before the bell went. Hermione was a bit worried when the bell actually sounded and Draco had still not arrived in class, while he often cut it fine in arriving he was never late.

"Miss Granger, do you know where Mr Malfoy is?" Professor Flitwick asked, noticing the blond's unusual absence.

"Um, he wasn't feeling well this morning." Hermione said covering for Draco, not wanting him to get into trouble.

Professor Flitwick nodded and started the lesson, leaving Hermione to wonder about Draco's absence. Hermione wondered if he really was ill, she had only spoken to him briefly this morning. When she had headed down to breakfast he was still in bed looking like he was about to fall back asleep at any minute.

Hermione was distracted throughout the lesson, barely managing to make eligible notes. The second lesson was pretty much the same as the first, Hermione told the Professor that Draco was ill while she was actually wondering what was happening.

As soon as the bell rang signalling the end of class and morning break, Hermione hurried out of the classroom and up to her dormitory.

"Draco." Hermione called out as soon as she stepped into the common room.

Hermione was fairly certain that her boyfriend wasn't actually in the rooms but she still searched everywhere just in case. Less than five minutes later Hermione was standing in the middle of Draco's room, with no clues as to where her boyfriend was. Hermione looked around Draco's room and spotted his bag at the bottom of his bed with the books for the morning lesson's in. There was no sign of his uniform so he was obviously dressed. Hermione was just baffled by where he was as she couldn't find anything out of place in their dormitory.

Before she had time to do any more searching the bell rang and Hermione reluctantly headed to her next class still wondering about Draco. Like the previous two classes Hermione said Draco was ill so he wouldn't get into trouble.

At lunch time Hermione headed straight to the hospital wing, just in case Draco had been taken ill and she wasn't actually lying to the Professor's. Madam Pomfrey quickly dispelled Hermione's hopes as she told Hermione she hadn't see Draco all day.

After leaving the hospital wing Hermione once again headed back to the common room not expecting to find Draco. When she did enter the room Hermione was surprised to see Draco sitting on the sofa with his head in his hands.

"I've been looking for you, are you alright?" Hermione asked, immediately concerned with Draco's welfare as he looked paler than normal.

"I'm fine." Draco said, not looking up at Hermione who had sat down next to him.

"You don't look fine." Hermione said softly. Something was clearly bothering Draco but she wasn't really sure how to approach the problem. "Where have you been?" She asked.

"I went to see Professor McGonagall." Draco said, finally lifting his head and looking at Hermione. "And then I went to see Kingsley."

"Why? Is everything alright?" Hermione asked, wondering if there was something wrong with Draco's probation.

"Not really. I got this letter this morning." Draco said, pulling a letter from his trouser pocket and handing it to Hermione.

Hermione started to read the letter from Narcissa. Hermione was confused as to the problem when she first started reading, Narcissa just seemed to be checking Draco was okay, but suddenly the tone of the letter changed as she mentioned Lucius. Hermione read on in shock as Narcissa informed Draco that Lucius would be released from Azkaban within the next three months.

"How?" Hermione asked in disbelief.

After the war Lucius had cut many deals and given the Auror's a lot of valuable information regarding Voldemort and his Death Eaters in exchange for a lighter sentence. While the actual time he was going to serve in Azkaban was unknown Hermione found it hard to believe it would be under a year, as was indicated in Narcissa's letter.

"That's what I went to find out." Draco said. "When I came back to school the negotiations were still on-going but father's lawyer said he would be serving a minimum of three to four years, that was apparently the best case scenario."

"But if he's out in the next three months that makes it less than year he's served." Hermione said, still shocked by the news.

"It will be, when I spoke to Kingsley he expected father to be released in early May. He's given them some new information apparently, so they've agreed to release him with one year's house arrest before total freedom."

Hermione was still stunned that Lucius could get off so lightly, but she was now wondering why Draco was so upset over it. Draco very rarely spoke of his father and Hermione knew things were difficult between them after everything that had happened but it was obvious to her that Lucius was still very important to Draco.

"Isn't it a good thing your father's getting released?" Hermione asked tentatively.

"Not really." Draco shook his head. "I wasn't planning on having to deal with him so soon, he could cause problems for us."

Hermione suddenly realised why Draco was so upset and she couldn't stop herself wondering if Lucius' release spelled the end of her relationship with Draco. There was no way Lucius would allow his son to get serious with a muggleborn witch and there was a lot more he could do about it now he was free from Azkaban.

"Would he disinherit you for being with me?" Hermione asked. She knew that Lucius would probably do more but she knew that title and money was very important to the pureblood community.

"Maybe, although all he can really stop me getting is the Manor, his businesses and his money. I've already had a large inheritance from both sets of grandparents, so I've got more than enough money to do what I want." Draco said. "It won't be something that would bother me so he probably wouldn't do it."

"What else do you think he'll do?" Hermione asked, slightly worried about what Lucius could potentially have in store for them.

"I'm not sure, despite the war he still has a lot of power and influence so he could potentially make our lives difficult." Draco admitted. "He'd also try and split us up."

"Would he succeed?" Hermione asked. She knew Draco loved her she just wasn't sure if he would pick her over his family.

"Never." Draco grabbed Hermione's hand in his as he reassured the witch he wasn't leaving her. "I love you and nothing father can say or do will change that. You're stuck with me until you decide you don't want me."

"That'll never happen." Hermione said, she already couldn't imagine her life without Draco in it. "I love you far too much to ever let you go."

Draco smiled and gently kissed Hermione. He had been worried that at the news of his father's imminent release from Azkaban Hermione would decide things were too complicated and would leave him.

"We should get something to eat." Draco said, reluctantly tearing himself away from Hermione's soft lips.

Hermione agreed and the pair of them headed into the small kitchen alcove to see what they could find. Settling on sandwiches and pumpkin juice, Hermione and Draco made their lunch and headed back to the sofa to eat.

"What did I miss in class this morning?" Draco asked. The atmosphere in the room was heavy and serious and Draco wanted to forget about his father for the time being, he had plenty of time to worry about Lucius later.

Hermione immediately started informing Draco what he had missed in Charms, Arithmancy and Ancient Runes. While she had been slightly distracted during lessons she was clever enough to have still taken in the lesson and understood what had been going on around her.

Draco listened to Hermione, trying desperately to forget about his father which was easier said than done. Draco still wasn't convinced that Lucius couldn't destroy his relationship with Hermione. Despite his girlfriend's protestations, Draco wasn't sure Hermione would stay with him when they had Lucius out to destroy them. Draco had been hoping that by the time Lucius was released his relationship with Hermione would be more permanent and they would be more settled so that Lucius would have had little option but to accept them.

"Are you coming to afternoon classes?" Hermione asked one they were finished lunch and she was tidying up.

"Yes, I just need to go and get my bag." Draco said, heading upstairs to get his stuff.

When Draco came back the couple headed off for afternoon lessons. While they didn't mention Lucius all afternoon the thought that he would soon be out and able to interfere with their lives was something both Draco and Hermione were acutely aware of all afternoon.

When dinner time rolled round, Draco stayed in their rooms while the only reason Hermione went to dinner was because she knew that Ginny would be concerned that she hadn't shown up at lunchtime. Hermione was immediately bombarded with questions from the redhead and after reassuring Ginny she was fine, Hermione ate a quick dinner before excusing herself and heading back to Draco.

On the surface Hermione and Draco's evening was no different to any other, they did they homework, chatted happily together and indulged in a couple of hot and heavy snogging sessions. But there was an underlying tension in the air that neither one wanted to address. When it was time for bed they ended up curled up in Draco's bed like normal but as they drifted off to sleep they were both worrying about Lucius and the effect he could have on their relationship.


	12. Draco's Decision

Draco sat in the library of Malfoy Manor reading yet another book, trying to finalise the plans he had been making in his head. It had been over a week and a half since his mother had wrote to him informing him of Lucius' pending release from Azkaban. McGonagall had kindly allowed Draco to return home for the weekend to speak with his mother and to make any arrangements regarding his father's homecoming that were necessary.

Draco had originally wanted to return the previous weekend as Hermione had made plans with Ginny but unfortunately his mother was busy and couldn't accommodate him until the weekend after. Draco hadn't been pleased to be spending two weekends in a row barely seeing Hermione but she had insisted he visit Narcissa and get things sorted regarding Lucius.

Since receiving news of Lucius' impending homecoming, Draco had been thinking of ways to make his father accept his relationship with Hermione. Unfortunately Draco knew his father would not be happy about him dating a muggleborn and he would do everything in his power to stop them getting serious. It was this thought that had provided Draco with a possible solution to the problem.

While Lucius may object to Draco dating Hermione he would have a much harder time splitting them up if they were married. Draco had initially been unsure of the idea of marriage, while he loved Hermione and was quite happy to spend the rest of his life with her he wasn't sure if his level headed girlfriend would agree to marrying so quickly. However as he thought about it seriously, the idea of marrying Hermione started to become all Draco could think about. Within days what started out as an idea of keeping Lucius off their backs had suddenly become the thing Draco most desired in the world.

So far Draco hadn't gotten round to proposing to Hermione and telling her his plan as he wasn't sure what he would do if the woman he loved rejected his proposal. Draco had used the weekend at Malfoy Manor to make his final plans on proposing to Hermione as well as looking into the legalities of marriage and whether Lucius could undo anything they did.

It was the research that had Draco sitting in the library, scouring over old books looking for answers. Draco discovered that wizarding marriages were pretty much the same as muggle ones in that divorce was a built in clause, one he was sure his father could manipulate. Draco however found mention of a bonding ceremony that often took place during a wizarding wedding. Draco could clearly remember hearing of the bonding ceremony when he was younger, most notably during one of Lucius lessons on purebloods and their behaviour.

With that in mind Draco started scouring books looking for mentions of the bonding ceremony so he could learn more details about what it entailed. It didn't take long before Draco found the information he was looking for. Reading through the pages of information, Draco realised he actually knew quite a bit about the ceremony as it was fairly common within pure blood marriages, in fact he was pretty certain his parents had participated in the bonding ceremony.

After exchanging their vows and getting married, couples then took part in the bonding ceremony, if they wished. The ceremony bound the couple's magic together, ensuring they would stay together until one of them dies. Draco discovered that there were all sort of clauses you could add to the ceremony, like fidelity and obedience. The basic ceremony ensured the couple would be together forever but Draco knew it was often abused by male purebloods who used the ceremony to get a faithful, obedient wife who will do whatever they wished for.

Draco vanished the relevant book up to his room, so he could take it back to Hogwarts and show it to Hermione after he had proposed, and put the rest away before he went to find his mother. Draco found Narcissa sitting on the small sofa in the conservatory drinking tea.

"Mother, I'm going to be leaving soon." Draco said, sitting down opposite his mother in a chair.

"So soon, it's only the middle of the afternoon." Narcissa said.

"I know but I have things to do." Draco said. He had debated whether or not to tell Narcissa about his relationship with Hermione but he eventually decided it was better to keep both his parents in the dark.

"Alright." Narcissa sighed. She had enjoyed having Draco around for the weekend and was reluctant for him to leave. "I suppose I'll see you in the summer."

"Bye, Mother." Draco said, hugging Narcissa and giving her a peck on the cheek. He deliberately didn't respond to her last statement as if everything went according to plan him and Hermione would be off somewhere getting married.

After ten minutes of Narcissa fussing around him and checking he hadn't forgotten anything, Draco finally escaped to his room to finish packing his bag. Draco stuffed the old book into the bottom of his bag before he double checked the room, making sure he had everything. Satisfied he had everything Draco pulled out his wand and apparated to Hogsmeade.

Draco immediately felt better when he landed in Hogsmeade. While he had enjoyed being home, specifically seeing his mother, Draco was pleased to back where Hermione was. Before he headed to Hogwarts, Draco made his way to the jewellery shop he had visited before Christmas. On the Hogsmeade trip the previous weekend, Draco had called into the jeweller's looking for a ring for Hermione. After finding what he wanted Draco had the jeweller make some adjustments and he had arranged to pick it up today.

Seeing Draco enter his shop the jeweller immediately retrieved the ring from the back room and handed it to Draco. Draco checked the ring to make sure he was happy with it, he had gotten the jeweller to enchant the ring to fit Hermione's finger and had paid for an inscription to be engraved in the inside of the silver band. Satisfied with the ring Draco paid the jeweller, including a generous tip to ensure his silence about the ring.

Leaving the jeweller's Draco started back to school. Arriving at Hogwarts, Draco headed to see Professor McGonagall before he went anywhere else.

Without revealing his plan to propose to Hermione, Draco asked permission for him and Hermione to leave the school premises for a couple of hours later that night. McGonagall agreed to Draco's request as she had high hoped that the couple could make a go of their relationship and be happy together.

After receiving McGonagall's approval for him and Hermione to leave the premises, Draco headed down to the kitchens to enlist help for the next part of his plan. Arriving in the bustling kitchens Draco found Kandy, the house elf that usually brought him meals in the common room. Taking Kandy to one side Draco explained what he wanted and asked if the elf could help him. The elf eagerly agreed and after finalising plans for the night Draco left the kitchens and finally headed to his dormitory.

Arriving in the common room he shared with Hermione, Draco refrained from calling out to her as he wasn't sure if she was alone or if Ginny would be with her. When Draco failed to spot Hermione in the common room he headed upstairs to check her room. Poking his head in her open bedroom door, Draco decided she must be with Ginny in Gryffindor Tower as there was no sign of his girlfriend in her room.

Draco entered his own room and threw his bag onto the floor before he spotted Hermione lying on his bed. Hermione was lying flat on her stomach, a book propped up against Draco's pillow's as she read. Hearing Draco throw his bag to the floor Hermione turned her head and smiled at her boyfriend.

"Did you have a good time?" Hermione asked, putting a bookmark in her book and closing it.

"It was alright." Draco replied, his eyes roving over Hermione's body. Draco was getting very distracted by Hermione as all she was wearing was one of his shirts that barely covered her behind.

"I've missed you." Hermione said, smiling as she noticed the bulge in Draco's trousers.

"I've missed you too." Draco said, watching as Hermione rolled over onto her back.

"How about you come and show me how much you've missed me." Hermione said, smiling seductively at Draco.

Draco didn't need a second invitation, kicking off his shoes he joined Hermione on the bed. Hermione immediately pulled Draco to her and kissed her boyfriend passionately. As they were kissing Draco managed to unbutton the shirt Hermione was wearing, revealing the matching light blue underwear she was wearing.

Within ten minutes both Hermione and Draco were naked, the only sound in the room was the moaning that was a result of their passionate reunion.

After spending most of the afternoon in bed, Draco told Hermione he was taking her out and shooed the Gryffindor off to her own room to get dressed. Once alone Draco got dressed and making sure the ring was safely in his pocket he headed down to the common room to wait for Hermione.

Hermione emerged from her room ten minutes later wearing dark blue jeans and an off the shoulder pale purple top that showed the silky smooth skin of her right shoulder. The only jewellery she was wearing was the ruby and emerald necklace she had received off Draco for Christmas.

"You look lovely. Shall we go." Draco said, giving Hermione a quick kiss before he grabbed his broom that was standing against the wall.

"You never said we were flying." Hermione said.

"It's just a short journey." Draco said, chuckling at Hermione's response. Despite Draco having got Hermione on his broom a couple of times since the night in November when he had first gotten her to ride with him the brunette witch was still wary of flying.

Hermione wasn't thrilled about having to fly but she was eager to see where Draco was taking her so she followed the blond out of their common room. Draco headed to the back of the school, where there was less chance of them being seen. Climbing onto his broom he scooted back and gestured for Hermione to join him.

Despite the remaining nerves in Hermione every time she got onto the broom she immediately relaxed the moment Draco's arms went around her and she was settled into his embrace. Hermione no longer closed her eyes as Draco was flying instead she made the most of the stunning views being on a broom would allow.

"Where are we going? Why have we left school grounds?" Hermione asked, panicking slightly when Draco crossed the school boundary and headed for the surrounding hills.

"Relax, I've already asked McGonagall's permission for us to leave the school grounds for a couple of hours." Draco told his girlfriend.

Hermione was relieved they weren't about to get into trouble and instead concentrated on where Draco could be taking her. The moment Draco started to head towards the ground, seemingly in the middle of nowhere, Hermione squeezed her eyes shut. Despite being more comfortable with flying Hermione still hated the feeling of landing and never looked as they headed back to solid ground.

"You can open your eyes now." Draco said, knowing his girlfriend wouldn't have any idea they had landed because she wasn't watching.

Hermione opened her eyes and disembarked from the broom before she looked around at their surroundings. They had landed on a hill that overlooked Hogwarts and there was a lovely picnic set out with enchanted firefly's hovering overhead giving a romantic glow to the hill.

"How did you do all this? You've been with me all afternoon." Hermione asked, amazed by the spread in front of her.

"I had a little help." Draco said, mentally reminding himself to thank Kandy in some way for organising everything so well. "Do you like it?"

"I love it." Hermione said, wrapping her arms around Draco's neck and pulling the blond to her for a kiss.

Draco pulled Hermione into his arms, deepening the kiss. Eventually needing air the couple separated and sat down to enjoy the picnic that was spread out before them.

Hermione filled Draco in on what she had been up to over the weekend, which apart from studying and watching Ginny practice Quidditch wasn't much. Draco told Hermione about how excited his mother was at the prospect at having Lucius home, despite everything Draco knew his parents still loved each other very much and as much as he wasn't really happy about his father's return he found it hard not to be pleased for his mother.

"Did you tell your mother about us?" Hermione asked. She wasn't really sure if she wanted the answer to be yes or no as she had no idea what sort of response Narcissa would have to their relationship.

"No, I decided it was best to tell my parents together." Draco explained. "I don't want to put mother in a situation where she's hiding anything from father."

Hermione nodded understanding Draco's logic, she was also impressed by his thoughtfulness regarding his parent's marriage. "That make sense, your father will still object though."

"He will but I know a way he can't separate us." Draco said, working up the courage to ask Hermione to marry him.

"How?" Hermione asked, intrigued.

"He can't separate us if we were married." Draco said.

"Married." Hermione squeaked. The idea was surprisingly very appealing to her. "You think we should get married just so your father can't split us up."

"No." Draco said, causing Hermione's face to fall as she had thought he was seriously thinking about marrying her. "I think we should get married because we love each other and want to spend the rest of our lives together."

As he was speaking Draco pulled the ring box out of his pocket and knelt in front of Hermione. Hermione's mouth fell open in shock as she realised she had been right and Draco was serious.

"I admit when I first considered marriage it was as a solution to stop father splitting us up but the more I thought about it the more I realised it was what I wanted. I know we've only been together for a few months but I can't imagine my life without you in it, in fact you are my life." Draco took a deep breath and flipped the box open, revealing the gorgeous diamond ring. "Hermione, I love you more than anything and I'd like nothing more than for you to be my wife. Will you marry me?"

Hermione looked at Draco in shock, at first she had thought he was proposing as a solution to the problem with Lucius but after his heartfelt speech Hermione knew that Draco really meant it and wanted to marry her for the right reasons.

"Yes, I'd love to marry you." Hermione said with a huge smile.

Draco let out a sigh of relief and pulled the ring out of the box and handed it to Hermione. Hermione examined the ring, it was a silver band with small diamonds running round the band on either side of the large diamond in the centre of the ring. Hermione spotted something inside the ring and closer examination revealed a carved infinity symbol with her and Draco's initial's inside.

"It' beautiful." Hermione said, as Draco took the ring from her hand and slipped it onto her finger.

"You're beautiful." Draco said, leaning over and kissing Hermione softly on the lips. "We should be getting back, I promised McGonagall we would only be a couple of hours." He said, once they had parted.

Draco and Hermione gathered the picnic things up and vanished them back to the castle while they mounted Draco's broom. Flying back to school Draco decided to broach the subject of bonding once they had returned to their rooms while Hermione was wondering if there was some sort of spell that could hide her ring from other people's view as she wasn't planning on taking it off again.


	13. Helping Hands

Hermione sat crossed legged on Draco's bed the book about bonding ceremonies sitting in front of her. Draco had informed her of the bonding ceremony the night they had gotten engaged and in the three weeks since then Hermione had been doing lots of research about it.

Hermione wasn't opposed to tying herself to Draco for life but she had been horrified by some of the stories she had read about the bonding ceremony, or more specifically the type of bonds some people agreed to take. Hermione and Draco had discussed it in detail and decided to only have the original bonds that would tie their magic and lives together, both decided they trusted each other enough not to need the fidelity bond and Hermione outright refused the obedience bond.

After discussing the bonding aspect to their marriage Draco and Hermione then started discussing when and where they were going to get married. Eventually they decided that on the last day of term instead of boarding The Hogwarts Express they would elope instead. Final plans had yet to be decided upon but they were planning on writing letters to the people important to them to let them know they were safe, then they were planning on getting married and enjoying a long honeymoon before returning and facing the music.

Hermione was re-reading part of the book that had suddenly posed a problem in their plan when Draco entered the room. Hermione was so caught up in her book she failed to pay any attention to her boyfriend despite the fact he had just taken a shower so was wandering around wearing only a towel.

Draco got dressed keeping one eye on Hermione, so far she hadn't even acknowledged his presence. She just carried on reading her book biting her lower lip as she concentrated on something. When he was finished dressing Draco sat on the bed behind Hermione.

"What's wrong?" Draco asked as he ran his fingers through Hermione's thick hair.

"For the bonding ceremony to be legal it has to be performed by a wizard from the home Ministry of the couple." Hermione said, turning round to face Draco.

So far Draco and Hermione's plan had been to get married in another country as no one would know them and it would be easier to go unnoticed.

"So we have to get married in this country." Draco sighed, he had been looking forward to getting married somewhere nice and warm.

"Not necessarily, the wizard who performs the ceremony just has to work for the British Ministry." Hermione explained.

Draco thought about what Hermione had told him, several ideas running around his head. "How would you feel about telling someone about our plans?" He asked hesitantly.

"Who?" Hermione asked, wondering who Draco was planning on telling.

"Kingsley." Draco said. "He works for the Ministry and he might be willing to help us."

"That's a great idea." Hermione beamed at the thought, surely Kingsley would agree to help them. "And he's coming this afternoon, isn't he?"

"Yes, it's the end of the month." Draco said. "If we asked him for help this afternoon it would probably mean telling Professor McGonagall as she'll be with him."

"That's fine. She might be some help as well." Hermione said.

Hermione turned back around and picked up the book. Scooting back she settled in between Draco's legs and continued to read while Draco was content to sit with Hermione in his embrace. The couple sat on Draco's bed for over an hour with Hermione reading the odd paragraph out loud when she either found it interesting or she was disgusted with the way someone had abused the bonding ceremony.

Eventually it was nearly time for Kingsley's monthly visit so the couple headed down to their common room. Ever since the first visit when Hermione had accidently walked in on Kingsley checking Draco's wand she had been present ever since.

Hermione paced the room nervously, anxious for Kingsley to arrive so they could ask for his help. She was trying not to think about what would happen if he couldn't or wouldn't help them.

"For Merlin's sake Granger, stop pacing and sit down." Draco said from his place on the sofa.

Hermione raised an eyebrow at Draco but settled herself down next to him. She could tell he was anxious as he only ever called her by her last name now when he was nervous or annoyed with her. Hermione moved closer to Draco and rested her head on his shoulder, causing the blond to wrap his arm around her waist. They sat like that for several minutes until a sharp knock at the door announced McGonagall and Kingsley's arrival.

Ever since Kingsley and McGonagall had walked in on Draco and Hermione kissing at the end of December they had knocked before entering the common room. Hermione suspected they were worried that if they just walked in unannounced they would find Draco and Hermione in another compromising position.

Throughout Draco's wand inspection Hermione sat nervously biting her bottom lip, worrying about whether the two people sitting opposite her would help her and Draco get married. When Kingsley had finished inspecting Draco's wand, finding it contained no traces of dark magic, he handed it back to the blond and together with McGonagall prepared to leave the couple to get on with their night.

"Could the pair of you stay for a while, there's something Hermione and I would like to talk to you about." Draco said as Kingsley and McGonagall began to stand up.

"Of course." McGonagall said as her and Kingsley sat back down.

Kingsley and McGonagall shared a puzzled look between them, they had both noticed how nervous Hermione had been throughout the meeting and were wondering what the problem was. The most obvious thing was that Hermione and Draco would tell them they were expecting a baby but both McGonagall and Kingsley hoped that the young couple were more responsible than that.

"Hermione and I are getting married." Draco said after a couple of minutes silence.

Kingsley and McGonagall both looked surprised, they were relieved that the couple weren't expecting a baby but they were surprised by the speed at which the relationship was developing.

"Congratulations." McGonagall smiled, finally finding her voice. "Is there a particular reason you're in such a rush to get married? You're only young and have only been together a few months."

Hermione smiled at Professor McGonagall's cautious attitude, she had fully expected the older woman to be wary of their decision.

"We've talked about it a lot, and it's what we both want." Hermione said, taking hold of Draco's hand for support. "We know it's quick but we love each other and want to be together."

"Does this have anything to do with Lucius been released soon?" Kingsley asked Draco.

"Yes. It was the prospect of facing father that initially prompted our decision but he's not the main reason why we're getting married." Draco said.

Kingsley nodded and looked at the young couple in front of him. Hermione had been visibly nervous all afternoon but as soon as she held onto Draco she looked more relaxed, it had obviously soothed her being in physical contact with her fiancée.

"I'm guessing there's something else you wish to discuss with us regarding your marriage." McGonagall said, sensing there was something else the pair wanted to speak to her and Kingsley about.

"There is." Draco nodded before he proceeded to explain about the bonding ceremony and the problem they had found earlier.

When he had finished speaking Draco had sat back on the sofa, pulling Hermione with him, as they waited for a response from the two people sitting opposite them. The moment Draco had mentioned bonding Kingsley and McGonagall were shocked but had known the young couple were deadly serious about their plans.

"I'm not going to bother asking you two if you've really thought this through as I know you're both too clever to enter into a bonded marriage without real thought and discussion having gone into your decision." Kingsley said. "So I'd be delighted to help you."

"Thank you." Hermione beamed, thrilled that they had Kingsley on side.

Hermione then turned her head to look at McGonagall, to get her reaction. Ever since she started Hogwarts Hermione had looked up to her head of house and the older witch's opinion was important to Hermione.

"Like Kingsley, I know you've not made this decision lightly. So I fully support you both." McGonagall said, smiling at the obviously in love couple sitting on the other sofa.

Hermione was so thrilled she leapt from her sofa and hurried over to the other one and hugged both Kingsley and McGonagall. Despite being surprised by Hermione's actions both Kingsley and McGonagall hugged the young witch back.

"When did you plan on marrying?" Kingsley asked once Hermione had returned to her seat.

"At the end of the school year." Hermione said. "We were planning on eloping on the last day and getting married abroad."

"That could work out perfectly." Kingsley said, pulling his wand and a book from his pocket. "The last week of term and the week after, I'm actually in France. How do you feel about getting married in Paris?" Kingsley said after consulting the book that was obviously a diary.

"That sounds great." Hermione said, after quickly consulting with Draco who was smiling broadly.

"I can organise everything for the day after you finish school." Kingsley said. "You will however need a witness for the bonding ceremony."

Hermione and Draco shared a look before they turned to McGonagall.

"Professor McGonagall, would you be the witness for us?" Draco asked.

"Of course I will, but are you sure I'm the right choice?" McGonagall said, genuinely touched by the request.

"Yes, you're the perfect choice." Hermione smiled. "From the moment I started school you've always been there for me and I've always known I could rely on you."

"Thank you, Hermione." McGonagall smiled at Hermione before turning to Draco. "What about you, we haven't always gotten along?" She asked the blond boy, who she had had her fair share of run-ins with over the years.

"No, we haven't." Draco readily agreed with the headmistress. "But you gave me a chance this year, a chance most people wouldn't have given me. You didn't have to agree to let me return to Hogwarts, especially after everything I've done, but you did and I'm very grateful. Right from the first day you had faith that I could prove to people I'd changed and you've been a massive support to me this year."

McGonagall smiled softly at Draco, his change for the better never more evident than it was at the minute. Before his death Albus Dumbledore had often said that Draco wasn't a bad person, he just needed people to believe in him and support him. It had been these sentiments that had persuaded McGonagall to let Draco return to school and to give him a second chance, something she was very pleased to have done.

"I will definitely be your witness." McGonagall said to Hermione and Draco. "And if you need help with anything, don't hesitate to ask."

"Thank you." Draco said.

"I suppose we should be off." Kingsley said, standing up. "I'll make arrangements for the wedding and bonding ceremony and we can discuss it more next month."

Hermione and Draco both stood up and thanked Kingsley and McGonagall once again, before the pair left the common room. Once they were alone Hermione and Draco returned to the sofa where they had been sitting previously.

"That was easier than I expected." Draco said, wrapping his arm around Hermione's waist.

"I know. I thought they would grill us more about our decision." Hermione admitted.

"At least we're sorted now." Draco said.

Hermione snorted causing Draco to look at her in surprise. "We are nowhere near sorted. There is still so much left to organise." She said.

"Like what?" Draco asked.

"Like where we're going to stay in Paris, where we're going for our honeymoon, what we're going to do when we return home." Hermione said, listing the numerous tasks on her fingers.

"Sounds like we need a list." Draco said sarcastically, rolling his eyes at Hermione's eagerness to begin the organising.

"That's a great idea." Hermione exclaimed, sitting up straight on the sofa. Pulling her wand from her pocket she summoned some parchment and a quill. "Come on, let's get started."

Draco groaned slightly but immediately shut up when Hermione glared at him. Not wanting to get on Hermione's bad side Draco sat up and started to help his fiancée plan their wedding and future life together.

*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*\/*

Not wanting to be overheard, Kingsley and McGonagall waited until they had entered the headmistresses office and were settled before they spoke of what had just happened with Draco and Hermione.

"Did we do the right thing?" McGonagall asked Kingsley, even though she was confident they had been right in their decision to support the couple.

"Yes, I think we made the right decision to support them. We both know they would have forged ahead with their plan anyway, this way they have people to turn to and help them." Kingsley said.

"Do you think it's a good idea for them to be bonded though?" McGonagall asked, this was the only part of Draco and Hermione's plan she had been unsure of. "It's such a huge thing to do."

"Maybe, but it's what they want." Kingsley said. "Do you not think their relationship is the real thing?" He asked, curious as to why McGonagall was asking so many questions.

"I do actually." McGonagall said, smiling at the thought of the loved up couple. "I think they are pretty perfect for each other. They are both incredibly opinionated and very intelligent, plus they balance each other well. Draco won't just let Hermione boss him around and tell him what to do just because she's clever while Hermione brings out the softer side of Draco, enabling him to express his emotions."

"If you're so confident of their relationship, what's the problem?" Kingsley asked.

"I just want them to be sure about what they're doing. Lucius Malfoy will be a big problem." McGonagall said, wondering how Draco's father would react to the news his family would no longer be pure-blooded.

"Maybe his time in Azkaban will have helped him realise what's important in life. He might just surprise us all and accept Draco's decision."

McGonagall snorted delicately at the idea which seemed rather farfetched to her mind.

"Perhaps not." Kingsley said, chuckling slightly at McGonagall's reaction. "But at least Hermione and Draco will have us to support them, if things don't go well with Lucius."

"That they do." McGonagall said. Over the years she had become very fond of Hermione, while Draco was growing on her, and she had no intention of losing contact with them once they left school.

"How do you think The Weasley's will react to the news?" Kingsley asked, he knew the redheaded family was all Hermione had left after the war.

"Probably a lot better than The Malfoy's." McGonagall said. "They're good people and have taken Hermione in as one of their own. Hopefully they can see she's happy and support her."

"I hope so." Kingsley said, standing up and straightening his robes as he headed for the fireplace. "I'll be in touch about next month's visit."

"Fine. See you soon, Kingsley." McGonagall said.

"Bye, Minerva." Kingsley said, stepping into the flames and heading back to the Ministry.

After Kingsley's departure McGonagall sat at her desk for several minutes thinking about Hermione and Draco. As they were keeping their nuptials a secret they had no one to help them get organised and McGonagall vowed to be as much help as she could to the young couple.

* * *

**A/N - I want to thank everyone for their support of this story. I know people are eager for everyone to find out about Hermione and Draco but there are still a few chapters to go before that. Everyone finding out will be chapters twenty one and twenty two.**


	14. The Perfect Dress

Hermione and Draco stood in the small jewellery shop, looking at various wedding rings but not having much luck finding anything they both liked. The longer they were in the shop the more frustrated Hermione was getting. In the last three weeks practically all the arrangements for the wedding were put in place, even though the honeymoon was causing problems as there was such a wide variety of places that Draco and Hermione wanted to visit.

Hermione sighed as she dismissed yet another ring. She had been hoping to get everything sorted today as final exams were fast approaching and Hermione wanted a clear head to concentrate on her school work.

"Maybe we should try somewhere else, another day." Draco suggested, looking at his watch.

They had already spent longer in the jeweller's than Draco had anticipated and now they would only have time for a quick lunch before he headed back to school while Hermione went shopping for wedding dresses. Professor McGonagall had kindly allowed the couple into Hogsmeade on a Sunday and had even arranged to join Hermione that afternoon as she looked for a dress for their rapidly approaching wedding.

"I do have another tray of wedding rings out the back." The jeweller hurriedly spoke up not wanting to lose the custom. This would be the third visit the young Malfoy had paid to his store and the man was eager to continue doing business with the wealthy young man.

"It wouldn't hurt to look, ideally we want something today." Hermione said.

At Hermione's words the jeweller rushed to the back room, returning a few minutes later with a tray of stunning wedding rings. Hermione and Draco began looking at the rings, liking the simple and stylish rings much better than any others they had looked at.

Ten minutes later they had picked a pair of rings, both were silver with small diamonds intertwined round the small band on Hermione's ring. After paying for the rings Draco and Hermione set off for The Three Broomsticks for something to eat.

Over lunch the couple continued their on-going debate about their honeymoon. Both Draco and Hermione had a long list of places they wished to visit and were so far finding it hard to reach a decision on a final destination.

"How about we compromise and visit a few different places." Draco suggested, getting sick of arguing with Hermione.

"That's a good idea." Hermione said, thinking through the possibilities. "We could always extend the honeymoon and spend a couple of months travelling."

Draco quickly agreed, partly because spending two months alone with Hermione was very appealing but a long honeymoon also meant they had longer to prepare for dealing with everybody once they returned home. With a firm idea in place Draco agreed to have some ideas about possible destinations prepared for when Hermione returned to their dorms later that night.

After lunch Draco and Hermione said goodbye to each other and went their separate ways. Draco headed back to school to start working on honeymoon plans while Hermione headed towards the corner next to The Three Broomsticks, where she had arranged to meet Professor McGonagall.

McGonagall was already waiting for Hermione when she arrived at the pre-arranged meeting place.

"Sorry if I'm late." Hermione said, checking her watch and finding she was spot on time. "Thank you so much for offering to help me find a dress."

"You're welcome. It's the least I can do considering nobody else knows about your plans." McGonagall said. She felt that in the absence of Hermione's mother and Molly not being aware of what was going on that Hermione needed someone to support her.

"Where are we going?" Hermione asked. McGonagall had just told her the time and meeting place but had refused to tell Hermione anything else about the trip.

"A small village in Italy. It's a wizarding village but the shop I'm taking you to specialises in muggle wedding dresses, apparently they're becoming more popular in wizarding weddings as there's more choice than traditional robes. I thought you might be more comfortable in a muggle dress rather than robes." McGonagall said.

"I would." Hermione nodded. She had decided weeks ago that even though it was a small wedding she still wanted a wedding dress she would remember for the rest of her life.

"Let's go." McGonagall said, holding out her arm for Hermione to grab onto.

Hermione grabbed onto the headmistresses arm as McGonagall swiftly apparated the pair of them to their destination. When they landed Hermione let go of McGonagall and examined her surroundings.

They had landed in the middle of a tiny village in southern Italy. The streets were all cobbled and the nearby shops were all vintage style and looked incredibly expensive. As McGonagall led Hermione to the dress shop the brunette witch looked in a few of the shop windows amazed by the dazzling array of items on sale. They passed numerous clothing shops, book shops, jewellers, hat shops, furniture shops and loads more. The most amazing thing to Hermione was the fact the items for sale seemed to be a mix of magical things and muggle things, as they passed clothes shops she could clearly see muggle style clothing on display.

A very small walk later McGonagall stopped outside a white shop front with a beautiful display of wedding dresses in the window. Hermione looked at the dresses and the price tags before turning to her headmistress.

"This place is beautiful, but I can't afford the prices here." Hermione said.

"Don't worry about that, Draco gave me some money and insisted that price wasn't an issue. He wants you to have anything you want." McGonagall said.

Hermione thought about arguing but she had already worked out that Draco was generous with his money and would likely be offended if she refused to let him pay for a dress. Giving in she followed McGonagall into the stylish looking shop, wondering how she was going to find a dress among the dozens on display.

As Hermione was looking at the array of dresses and accessories on display McGonagall was talking to the owner, a middle aged Italian woman with long black hair that was cascading down her back.

"Miss Granger, I'm Rosetta." The woman said, shaking Hermione's hand.

"Please call me Hermione." Hermione said, immediately liking the woman.

"Why don't we sit down, Hermione. And you can tell me what sort of dress we're looking for." Rosetta said, gesturing to some chairs and a table that was at the back of the room.

The three women sat down around the table and Rosetta summoned some parchment and a quill to make notes.

"If you tell me what you do and don't want in a dress I can make some notes and then I'll see about finding you your perfect dress." Rosetta said.

"Okay." Hermione said, thinking about the type of dress she wanted. "First of all I don't want anything too extravagant as it's just a small wedding. No large of puffy dresses, something slim line I think." Rosetta nodded, making notes as Hermione considered what else she needed in a dress. "I was thinking possibly off the shoulder with some sort of detail on the bodice."

"Okay." Rosetta said, looking at her notes. "Do you have any preference to colour? Would you like a veil?"

"I'm not sure about colour and I'm not really fussed on a veil." Hermione said after pausing to think for a minute.

"That's fine, I've got ample information to find you a dress." Rosetta said.

Rosetta then conjured up a clothing rack before she tapped her wand on the parchment that was sitting on the table. Within seconds the rack was filled with dresses that matched Hermione's description of the dress she would like.

"Look through these and you can try on any you wish to." Rosetta said.

Hermione stood and made her way to the rack of clothes while McGonagall and Rosetta watched the witch as they chatted nicely together. After searching the rack, Hermione had decided on three dresses she wished to try on. While all three were slim line off the shoulder dresses they varied in colour and the detail on the bodice.

Hermione arrived at the dressing room that Rosetta had directed her to and pulled off her clothes. Using her wand for easiness she dressed herself in the first dress, it was cream coloured with small baby pink rose details on the bodice. Hermione looked at herself unsurely in the mirror before leaving the room to get a second opinion.

"It's lovely, but not really you." McGonagall said upon seeing Hermione.

Hermione agreed and headed back to try on the second dress. The next dress was pure white and strapless, there was a silk ribbon around the middle of the dress and the bodice had delicate embroidered swirls on it. Hermione liked the dress better than the first one but she still wasn't convinced it was the one she wanted.

"You look stunning, but it's still not right." McGonagall said when Hermione reappeared for the second time.

Hermione headed back to the changing room grateful that McGonagall was being truthful and not just telling her she looked nice. Hermione turned to the last dress she had to try on, she had left this one to last as it was her favourite of three she had chosen. The dress was off-white with an off the shoulder design and as soon as Hermione put it on she felt comfortable. The dress was long and hugged her every curve, making her cleavage look far more impressive than it really was. The waist was pinched in and the bodice was decorated with miniature crystals that sparkled slightly whenever Hermione moved.

When Hermione emerged the third time McGonagall was speechless at the sight of the beautiful girl standing in front of her. Unable to speak because of the lump that had formed in her throat McGonagall nodded to Hermione to tell her that she had found her dress.

"This is the dress, we'll take it." Hermione said, turning to Rosetta.

"Indeed it is, you look breath-taking. Your future husband is a lucky man." Rosetta said. "Do you want accessories to go with your dress?"

"Yes, I'll need shoes and I would quite like something for my hair." Hermione said, before she turned to go back into the changing room.

Once Hermione had gotten changed she returned to the main part of the shop and quickly found a pair of white strappy shoes that matched her dress perfectly. Finding something for her hair proved harder but eventually Hermione settled on a diamond encrusted comb that magically styled her hair anyway she desired.

Hermione let McGonagall pay for the dress and accessories with the money Draco had given her. After paying for the outfit, McGonagall asked Rosetta if they could use her floo network to return to school. Rosetta agreed as the two women had just spent a lot of galleons in her shop.

"Do you want me to keep your dress and stuff? I can bring it to you the morning of the wedding." McGonagall said once they had emerged in her office.

"Yes please, that way Draco won't see them." Hermione said, handing the dress and bag with her accessories over to the headmistress. "Thank you for today, I really appreciate it." She said to McGonagall.

"It's fine, I've actually enjoyed myself." McGonagall smiled.

Saying a final goodbye to McGonagall, Hermione left the headmistresses office to return to her common room. Arriving in the common room Hermione found Draco sitting on the sofa reading a book.

"Hi, did you not get anything?" Draco asked, looking up and noticing Hermione's empty hands.

"I did, I left it with McGonagall." Hermione said, sitting down next to Draco. "Thank you, by the way."

"What for?" Draco asked.

"Paying for the dress." Hermione said, giving Draco a quick kiss.

"It's fine. It better be worth it though." Draco said with a grin.

"It is, it's lovely." Hermione said, smiling at the memory of trying the dress on.

"Good." Draco said, smiling at Hermione. "Do you want to hear about my afternoon?" He asked.

"Yes, please say you made some sort of progress for the honeymoon." Hermione said.

"I have, I was thinking we could pick some places we wanted to visit in Europe and just travel round from place to place. I know we talked about other countries as well but we'll have the rest of our lives to visit them." Draco said, explaining what he had been thinking in regards to the honeymoon.

"That sounds great." Hermione said. "And since we'll be in Paris we can start there."

"Exactly, now we just have to agree on where to go after that." Draco said.

"Can we do that later, I'm hungry." Hermione said.

"Sure, it's nearly dinner time do you just want to head down to The Great Hall?" Draco asked, getting up.

Hermione looked at Draco in surprise, while he often had dinner in the Hall during the week he never ventured into the room over the course of the weekend.

"Yes, on one condition." Hermione said to Draco. "You sit with me for dinner."

"At the Gryffindor Table?" Draco asked.

"Yes, it's a lot more casual on a weekend and lots of people don't sit at their own house tables." Hermione said, trying to convince Draco to join her.

"Fine, I'll do it." Draco said. He knew he would be better off giving into Hermione straight away as she would only convince him to do as she wanted in the end. "I bet I'll be the first Slytherin to sit at another table."

"I'm sure you will be." Hermione said as they walked out of the common room.

Nobody paid any attention to Draco and Hermione when they entered The Great Hall together as it was a common sight to see the pair of them together, but people did start talking when Draco settled down next to Hermione at the Gryffindor Table. When Ginny and Luna arrived a few minutes later they sat down opposite Hermione and Draco, neither girl commenting on Draco's unusual presence.

Dinner wasn't at all awkward with Draco's presence as he fitted in with the girls conversation nicely, chatting about Quidditch to Ginny and he showed an interest in Luna's wacky theories. Once dinner was over Draco and Hermione excused themselves and headed back to their rooms where they made a start on planning their honeymoon.


	15. A Letter from Ron

Hermione was so engrossed in reading her Potions book she failed to notice the small owl that had landed in front of her until Ginny nudged her. Looking up Hermione was startled to find Ron's owl, Pig, sitting on the table next to her breakfast.

Hermione untied the letter from Pig's foot, wondering why Ron was suddenly writing to her. She hadn't heard a word from her ex since their break up and now he was writing to her a month before school finished.

Over the last few months the pictures of Ron and his numerous conquests had vanished from the papers, something Hermione thought had to do with Ron's parents. While Hermione and Ginny rarely spoke about Ron, Ginny had revealed that Molly and Arthur were disgusted with their youngest son's behaviour and had told him numerous times to stop showing himself and the family up.

"What does Ron want?" Ginny asked through mouthfuls of scrambled egg.

"I don't know, but I'm going to be late for Herbology if I don't leave now. I'll read it later." Hermione said, putting the letter in her bag along with her books.

Ginny watched as Hermione hurriedly packed up her multitude of books that she had been studying. Ginny was pleased to say that over the last few months Ron had finally gotten his act together and stopped sleeping with random sluts. Ginny was hopeful the letter contained Ron's apology to Hermione for his behaviour. For a long time Ginny had been hopeful for a reunion between Hermione and Ron but the redhead had a sneaking suspicion that her brother had left it too late to attempt a reconciliation with Hermione.

Ginny had barely seen Hermione over the last few months between her Quidditch practice and the two of them preparing for final exams. But every time Ginny did see Hermione she was with Malfoy and the two of them seemed to be getting closer every day. Ginny was convinced that something was going on between her friend and her gorgeous roommate but she was waiting for Hermione to confide in her. Ginny was slightly disappointed that Hermione and Ron hadn't worked out but she couldn't blame Hermione for moving on, especially with someone as hot as Malfoy.

"See you later Gin." Hermione said, rushing to her first lesson.

As Hermione hurried to her first class she wondered what Ron wanted. Hermione was annoyed by the redhead's timing, there was only a month left of school and she should be concentrating on her final few exams not worrying about Ron and his motives for contacting her.

Hermione was just wondering whether she should open the letter when Draco slid into the chair beside her in the hot greenhouse. Hermione smiled at her fiancé, all thoughts of Ron forgotten when he smiled back. Hermione didn't think of Ron for the rest of the lesson as she was too busy making final preparations for her Herbology exam that was due to take place the following week.

"Are you alright, you seem a bit distracted?" Draco asked as they walked to their second lesson of the day.

"Ron sent me a letter this morning." Hermione said. She had debated not mentioning the letter to Draco but they had been honest with each other throughout their relationship and Hermione had no intention of lying to her fiancé.

"What did he want?" Draco asked, his jaw clenching at the thought of the redhead who had hurt Hermione so much.

"I don't know, I haven't opened the letter yet." Hermione said. She knew she was just putting off the task of opening the letter as she'd had plenty of time to do so at breakfast.

"Why not?" Draco asked as they arrived at the History of Magic classroom.

Hermione shrugged her shoulders and sat down at their table at the back of the classroom. Draco didn't mention the letter until Professor Binns had started the lesson, rehashing a subject they had studied in second year.

"Do it now." Draco hissed to Hermione once there was a steady stream of conversation in the classroom.

"I'm trying to listen." Hermione protested.

"Please, we did this in second year, you can't learn anything more than you already know." Draco said.

Hermione sighed, knowing Draco was right and the lesson was fairly pointless. Hermione pulled the letter from her bag and stared at it for several minutes until Draco gestured for her to open it. Hermione tore open the envelope and unfolded the parchment covered in Ron's messy handwriting. Taking a deep breath she began to read the letter in front of her.

_Dear Hermione,_

_I am really sorry for the way I treated you before you returned to school. I was an idiot and as usual you were right, letting you go was the worst mistake of my life. I'm also sorry for everything that has happened since then and the stories that have been appearing in the paper. I know I don't deserve it but I was hoping you could forgive me and we could still be friends. Sorry again._

_Love Ron. xxx_

After reading the letter Hermione pushed it across the desk for Draco to read. Draco read the letter and returned it to Hermione.

"What are you going to do?" Draco asked. He knew he had nothing to fear from Ron as Hermione loved him, so he had no problems with her continuing to be friends with her ex.

"I don't know. While he did hurt me a lot, we were friends for years before that and it's not something I want to throw away." Hermione admitted. She wondered how Draco would feel about her being friends with Ron giving their history together.

"Then don't. Write back and tell him you still want to be friends." Draco said, even though he suspected that Weasley wanted to be more than friends with Hermione.

"I'll think about it for a few days." Hermione said, turning back to the lesson.

Hermione wanted to remain friends with Ron as they had been through so much together and it would be awkward with Harry and Ginny if her and Ron were no longer speaking to each other. This year had proved how difficult it was as Ginny had deliberately avoided mentioning Ron in conversation unless she had to.

Hermione also had her relationship with Draco to think about and Ron's reaction to it. Ron wouldn't be happy to find she was with Draco, let alone married to him, but Hermione hoped that if she had forgiven him for that he had done to her he could come to terms with her relationship with Draco.

Hermione spent the rest of the morning thinking about Ron's letter and the best way to respond to it. She avoided The Great Hall at lunch time as she wasn't ready to answer any questions Ginny might have for her regarding her brother.

Hermione and Draco had no lessons that afternoon as every class they normally took they had already taken their final exam in that subject. Instead of staying in their common room they decided to take advantage of the nice weather so the couple headed out to the grass verge by the Black Lake to study for the rest of their exams.

Hermione shared her time between studying, worrying about Ron and thinking about her forthcoming wedding. Thoughts of Ron and how best to answer his letter disrupted Hermione numerous times and she mentally wrote a reply to his letter in her head a few times, never once being satisfied with her response. She was very aware that she wanted it to be clear she still valued his friendship but she didn't want to give him any sort of false hope regarding the possibility of a romantic relationship.

Thoughts of her wedding interrupted her studying whenever her engagement ring caught her eye, which was happening quite a lot in the bright sunlight. Hermione hadn't removed her ring from the moment Draco had placed it on her finger. When they had returned to their rooms from the picnic Hermione had set about finding a spell to hide her ring. Eventually she found a spell that hid the ring from the sight of anyone who didn't know of her and Draco's engagement. For weeks the only people who could see the ring were her and Draco until they told Kingsley and McGonagall, enabling them to see the ring. Hermione was planning on taking off the charm on the final day of school as it wouldn't matter who saw the ring and knew of their engagement by that point.

Hermione was actually studying hard when Draco informed her that Ginny was heading their way. Hermione looked up from her book to find a determined looking Ginny heading for the spot where her and Draco were sitting.

"Hi, Gin." Hermione greeted when Ginny arrived in front of her.

"Don't hi Gin me. Where have you been? I'm dying to know about the letter Ron sent you." Ginny said, settling down on the grass in front of Hermione.

"I'll leave you girls to it." Draco said, packing up all the books into the two bags. "I'll take your things back to the dorm, Granger."

"Thanks." Hermione said, smiling up at Draco.

Draco smiled back and turned to walk back to the castle, leaving Hermione to deal with Ginny. Hermione turned back to Ginny who was staring at her expectantly.

"Well, what did Ron have to say for himself?" Ginny asked.

"He apologised and asked if we could still be friends." Hermione said. The letter was in her bedroom so she couldn't show Ginny the actual letter.

"Have you wrote back yet? What's your answer?" Ginny asked, she was still hoping she was wrong about Hermione and Malfoy and that there was still a chance for her brother and Hermione to get back together.

"No, I haven't wrote back yet." Hermione sighed, lying back on the grass and looking up at the clouds in the pale blue sky.

"What are you going to say?" Ginny asked, lying next to Hermione.

"I'm going to tell him we can still be friends." Hermione said.

"Just friends?" Ginny asked, sounding hopeful.

"Just friends. He blew his chance at anything more, I've moved on." Hermione said forcefully so Ginny wouldn't have any false hopes.

Ginny sighed loudly, admitting defeat. It was time to give up hope of a reconciliation between Hermione and Ron, their relationship was dead and buried.

"I'm sorry, Gin. I know you wanted me and Ron to work out." Hermione said, sitting up and looking at her friend who was still lying in the grass.

"It's fine." Ginny said, sitting up. "I guess I was looking forward to you being my sister-in-law, but we'll always be friends and I'll always love you like a sister."

Hermione's eyes widened at the mention of being Ginny's sister-in-law, she had never once considered marriage to Ron and it was slightly disturbing that Ginny had done so. Hermione instead chose to concentrate on Ginny's last statement.

"Thanks Ginny." Hermione said, hugging the younger girl. She was feeling guilty about keeping her relationship from Ginny but knew they were doing the right thing and people would know soon enough.

Hermione stayed outside with Ginny for another hour or so before she headed back indoors, planning on writing her letter to Ron. Entering the common room Hermione found Draco sitting on the sofa with a letter in his hand.

"Is everything okay?" Hermione asked, looking at the letter in her fiancée's hand. Hermione had a suspicion it was a letter informing Draco that Lucius had returned to the Manor, it was mid-May and so far there had been no word on Lucius release.

"It's from Mother. He's back at home." Draco said, throwing the letter onto the table in front of him.

Hermione sat down next to Draco wondering if Lucius' return would change everything. It was easy for Draco to talk about marrying her despite the fact he might lose his family when Lucius wasn't around but it was a different prospect now his father was a part of his life again.

"Will you be going to see him?" Hermione asked. She knew that McGonagall would allow him to go home for the weekend if he asked her.

"No. I'll see him at the end of the summer, when we return from our honeymoon." Draco said.

Hermione was extremely relieved that Lucius' release seemed to have had no effect on their plans to get married at the end of term. Draco watched as Hermione visibly relaxed when he mentioned their honeymoon, obviously she had been worried that his father's release would change things between them.

"You do know that father's release doesn't change any of our plans." Draco said, trying to reassure Hermione.

"I do now." Hermione said, moving so she was leaning against Draco, who wrapped his arm around her. "I was just worried that having him home would make you realise that you could potentially lose your family. I don't want you to regret marrying me if that happens."

"If my parents can't accept us and I lose them, it won't be your fault. It'll be because they can't move on and realise that they were wrong." Draco said, running a hand through Hermione's hair. "And I will never regret marrying you. Making you my wife will always be the smartest thing I'll ever do."

After he had finished speaking Draco bent his head and kissed Hermione gently. Hermione deepened the kiss and manoeuvred herself so she was sitting on Draco's lap. Needing air the couple finally broke apart, both slightly out of breath.

"I love you and can't wait until we're married." Hermione said softly, her lips inches away from Draco's.

"I love you, too." Draco said before he captured Hermione's lips in a passion filled kiss.

Draco and Hermione continued kissing for several minutes before their hands started wandering over each other's bodies, removing clothing as it got in their way. As they continued undressing each other they managed to stand up and head towards Draco's bedroom just in case anyone walked into the common room and interrupted them.

Draco and Hermione spent the rest of the night in Draco's bedroom never giving Lucius' return from Azkaban a second thought as they made love several times over the course of the night. Hermione also forgot all about the letter she was planning on writing to Ron, her gorgeous fiancée causing her to forget all about her ex and the friendship she wanted to save.


	16. The Last Day of School

Hermione checked around her bedroom making sure she hadn't forgotten anything, not that there was much in her room as she had spent the majority of her time in Draco's room since they had started dating. It was the last day of school and Hermione wanted to go and have breakfast with Ginny one final time before her and Draco left for Paris.

Sitting on Hermione's bed were her school trunk and a large bag. Everything Hermione didn't need for her wedding and honeymoon was going into her school trunk, everything else was going in her other bag. McGonagall had kindly offered to keep both her and Draco's school trunks safe until they returned to England in a couple of months.

Satisfied that everything was packed and that she hadn't missed anything Hermione wandered back into Draco's room to inform him she was heading down to breakfast. Unsurprisingly Hermione found Draco still in bed, lying in exactly the same position he had been when she had gotten up an hour earlier. As Hermione was standing watching Draco he turned his head to face her and slowly opened his grey eyes.

"I'm off to have breakfast with Ginny." Hermione said.

"Okay." Draco mumbled, shutting his eyes again.

"You should get up and finish packing." Hermione said, looking around the room at Draco's partly packed bags. "I'll not be doing it for you."

"Yeah, yeah." Draco said sleepily.

Hermione tutted and left Draco still lying in bed. Despite what she had just told her fiancé Hermione knew that if Draco still hadn't finished his packing when she returned from breakfast she would do it for him. Hermione smiled at thought that she was already acting like a wife and headed down to The Great Hall.

"Hi, Hermione." Ginny greeted Hermione with a large smile as the brunette arrived at the table.

"Hi, Gin. You look happy." Hermione said.

"I am." Ginny beamed. "I'm finally finished school, I have a trial with The Holyhead Harpies next week and I get to see Harry in a few hours."

Hermione smiled at her friends enthusiasm, she knew that it was the thought of seeing Harry that was thrilling her redheaded friend the most.

"Are you not pleased to be finished school?" Ginny asked.

"I am, I'm looking forward to starting my life." Hermione said with a smile.

"Have you made any decisions on a career yet?" Ginny asked.

"Not really, I'm going to think about over the summer." Hermione replied. Kingsley had offered Hermione any job she wanted in the Ministry but Hermione wasn't sure what she wanted to do with her life yet.

As Hermione and Ginny chatted about the future, Ginny couldn't help but notice how happy Hermione was. After their talk a few weeks ago regarding Ron Ginny had given up on the idea of Hermione getting back together with her brother. She knew from Harry that Hermione had written back to Ron and told him that she wanted them to remain friends. Ginny was pleased by that as she felt that it might be weird for her and Harry if Hermione and Ron weren't talking to each other.

Ginny still suspected that there was something going on between Hermione and Malfoy though, she only hoped that if she was right that her family would be able to see how happy Hermione was and accept her relationship.

After a few minutes Hermione got up deciding that she better check that Draco had finished packing.

"Where are you going? You've only been here a few minutes." Ginny said.

"I want to visit the library on final time, I'll see you later." Hermione said as she made her way towards the door of The Great Hall.

Hermione smiled as she heard Ginny mutter 'typical' as she walked away from the Gryffindor table for one final time. Hermione left the Great Hall and hurried back to her dormitory so she didn't get all sentimental as she thought about the fact she had just ate in The Great Hall for the final time.

When Hermione arrived back in the common room she was shocked to see both her and Draco's trunk's stacked by the door and their two bags sitting next to one of the sofa's.

"That was quick." Draco commented as he entered the common room, emerging from the bottom of the stairs.

"I came back to help you pack." Hermione said. "But it seems I needn't have bothered."

"I'm all done." Draco said, sitting down on the sofa.

"Did you do it yourself or did you get a house elf to do it for you?" Hermione asked.

Draco's hair was still damp from the shower and Hermione wasn't convinced that he had had enough time to shower and pack in the time she had been at breakfast.

"Would I do such a thing?" Draco asked trying to look innocent.

"Yes." Hermione said, sitting next to Draco on the sofa.

"Okay I would." Draco admitted. "But I didn't, I just used magic to pack."

"Lazy git." Hermione mumbled.

"It's how I've packed for years." Draco said, defending himself.

"What are we going to do until the train leaves?" Hermione asked, changing the subject.

They had already decided they would leave after the Hogwarts Express so that no-one would see them heading to McGonagall's office. McGonagall had offered the couple the use of her floo network so they didn't have to arrange for a port key or use a public fireplace.

"We could always go to the Astronomy Tower and watch the train leave." Draco suggested.

"What if we're seen? People would wonder why we weren't heading for the train." Hermione pointed out.

"We won't be seen. I'm a Slytherin so I'm used to sneaking around unnoticed and you've done your fair share of sneaking around with Potter and Weasel."

"Okay, come on." Hermione said, standing up and pulling Draco to his feet.

Draco and Hermione made it to the Astronomy Tower unobserved as the rest of the castle were too busy preparing to return home for the summer. Draco and Hermione stood watching as the carriages started to pull up outside the castle and students started piling into them for the short trip to Hogsmeade station.

When there were only a few carriages remaining outside the school Draco and Hermione wandered over to the other side of the Astronomy Tower. From the opposite side of the Tower you could see the small village of Hogsmeade and it was possible to just make out the bright red train that sat in the station waiting to return to London.

Draco stood behind Hermione with his arms around her waist as they watched the tiny dots of students board the Hogwarts Express. Eventually the train blew it's whistle and moved out of the station, heading into the countryside to start on its long journey.

"We should be going as well. Are you ready?" Draco said, his breath tickling Hermione's neck.

"Definitely, let's go." Hermione said smiling at Draco.

After a brief visit to their dormitories to collect their bags and trunks Hermione and Draco arrived at Professor McGonagall's office. McGonagall immediately vanished the two trunks before she turned to the two teenagers.

"Are the pair of you ready?" McGonagall asked even though you could practically see the excitement radiating off the pair.

"Yes." Hermione smiled. "Thank you for everything you've done for us."

"You're welcome." McGonagall said. "I'll see you tomorrow morning."

After a few more thank you and goodbye's Draco and Hermione steeped into the green flames and flooed to their hotel in Paris.

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**The Palace de Luxe Hotel - Paris.**

Hermione wandered around the large hotel room before moving to the balcony to admire the view. The room was large and spacious with pale lilac walls and decorations. The bed that stood against the back wall was enormous and there were several sets of drawers dotted around the room. The en-suite bathroom was slightly smaller than the one at Hogwarts but was just as luxurious with the room decorated in white marble. The bathroom housed a large shower and a sunken Jacuzzi in the middle of the floor.

Draco emerged on the balcony behind Hermione and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Did you bring the letters?" He asked.

Draco had written a letter to his parents while Hermione had written to the Weasley's and Harry explaining their sudden disappearance, though neither mentioned the upcoming wedding or each other in the letters.

"Of course." Hermione tutted. She wondered why Draco was suddenly asking now as if she had forgotten the letters it was too late to go and get them from school.

"When do you think we should send them?" Draco asked.

"In a while. No-one will expect us before The Hogwarts Express arrives in London." Hermione said.

Draco murmured his agreement and placed a gentle kiss to Hermione's neck. The couple stood in silence for several minutes enjoying the view of Paris. Hermione was enjoying the view but couldn't help but wish they were staying in the centre of Paris. When Hermione told Draco this he chuckled softly.

"It's a good job I've booked us into a hotel in the centre of Paris for the next week then." Draco said.

"Why not just book us in there now?" Hermione asked. Draco had made all the arrangements for the next few weeks so Hermione was unsure where they were going next or where they were staying.

"It's a muggle hotel, I thought it was easier if we travelled to a wizarding hotel for today." Draco explained.

The entire honeymoon was a combination of Muggle and Wizarding resorts. Draco was initially apprehensive about travelling in the muggle world but Hermione was insistent their honeymoon should be a perfect combination of their two cultures. When Draco was actually organising the honeymoon, with help from McGonagall and Kingsley, he found the muggles easy to interact with and extremely helpful.

"Are you sure you're okay with part of the honeymoon being muggle?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, I'm actually looking forward to it." Draco reassured Hermione she wasn't forcing him into anything. "Well most of it." He added under his breath.

Hermione laughed, knowing exactly which part of the holiday Draco wasn't sure about. One of the places Hermione insisted on visiting was Switzerland as she loved to ski. She had been skiing with her parents a few times and was eager to teach Draco how to ski as payback for him forcing her to fly. Hermione had no idea what sort of accommodation Draco had booked but she was hoping for a private cabin somewhere in the Alps.

After a while Draco and Hermione headed back into their hotel room. Draco immediately settled on the bed while Hermione headed for her bag to search for the letters. Finding the letters, Hermione put them on the top of one of the sets of drawers and sat down on the bed next to Draco.

Draco pulled Hermione back on the bed so she was lying in his arms. "Are you sure about tomorrow? It's not too late to change your mind." He said, running his fingers through Hermione's hair.

"I'm not changing my mind. You're stuck with me now." Hermione reassured Draco. She was well aware that Draco half expected her to leave him as he wasn't used to people being there for him unconditionally.

"Good." Draco said quietly. He had been worrying slightly that he had pushed Hermione into marriage and he didn't want her to regret doing something that they couldn't take back.

After putting Draco's worries to rest the couple lay on the bed talking about the future for several hours. When Hermione figured it was time for The Hogwarts Express to arrive at Kings Cross Station she got off the bed and gathered up the letters.

"The manager said he would let me use some owls." Hermione said as she stood up. "We can go and get some food when I return."

"Don't be long, I'm starving." Draco said.

"Typical man." Hermione muttered as she left the room in search of the manager.

Hermione found the manager at reception and he took her to the room where he kept the hotel owls. Hermione attached Draco's letter to an owl and let it go before she picked up the heavier envelope destined for The Burrow. It had taken Hermione a long time to decided how many letters to write. She had initially started to write an individual one to Harry, Ron and Ginny but when she found herself repeating herself she decided to do a joint one to all three of her friends. She had also included a letter to Molly and Arthur thanking them for everything they had done for her since she had met them.

As Hermione tied the letter to the owl and released it she hoped that The Weasley's and Harry would be understanding when she returned from honeymoon. She really didn't want to lose her surrogate family but if they wanted to remain in her life they would have to accept Draco and her relationship with the blond Slytherin.

* * *

**A/N - The next chapter deals with the Malfoy's and the Weasley's receiving the letters from Hermione and Draco. Then the following chapter contains Draco and Hermione's wedding and bonding ceremony.**


	17. Letters to Home

**Malfoy Manor.**

Narcissa Malfoy checked the time for the third time in an hour before she poured herself another cup of tea. The Hogwarts Express was due into Kings Cross Station at any minute and within the next half hour or so her family would be back together. Lucius had been back home for just over a month and soon Draco would be returning from Hogwarts for the final time.

Narcissa had always missed Draco while he was at school but this year without having Lucius around and the war only just ending she had felt his absence even more acutely. Narcissa only hoped that once Draco returned him and Lucius could mend their fractured relationship.

Since his return home from Azkaban Lucius had been a changed man. For the first time he had admitted he was wrong to follow Voldemort and he acknowledged the pain he had caused his family by supporting him. Narcissa was also shocked when she informed her husband of her renewed relationship with her sister that he not only didn't object to it but he actually encouraged it. Narcissa hoped the new and improved Lucius would be able to fix his relationship with Draco.

Most people would assume that Lucius and Draco's relationship hit rocky ground when Draco was forced to become a Death Eater because of Lucius' failings but Narcissa knew it went back a lot further. The problems all started when Draco first started school and began to question what Lucius had told him his entire life. Lucius had always insisted that muggleborns were worthless and useless but upon meeting some for himself Draco had begun to wonder whether his father had been right in his opinions.

Narcissa had understood where Draco was coming from as she had experienced the same thing when she started school. Narcissa wasn't nearly as opposed to muggleborns as her husband and only agreed with the stance because she loved her husband and was expected to support him.

When Draco expressed his opinion that maybe muggleborns weren't all bad after his first year at Hogwarts Lucius had blown up at the young boy and given him a long lecture about how pure bloods were superior in the wizarding world. Draco had never mentioned his opinion again and instead had tried to make Lucius proud of him by trying to live up to his father's reputation of someone who judges people by their blood. Unfortunately Draco only ended up resenting his father for forcing him to become someone he didn't want to be.

Narcissa sighed loudly as she thought of the problems between the two men in her life. For the hundredth time she wondered if things would have been different if she had stood up to Lucius when Draco was younger and stopped him poisoning their son with his beliefs. Narcissa sighed again as she tried to brush the thoughts away, it was too late to change things now so she might as well stop dwelling on what she couldn't change.

The sight and sound of an owl pecking on the window brought Narcissa back to reality. Narcissa hurried to the window and untied the parchment that was attached to the owl's leg. As soon as Narcissa had hold of the letter the owl turned and flew back out of the window, not even stopping for a drink or some treats. Narcissa looked at the envelope in her hand, she was shocked to see it was addressed to her and Lucius in Draco's neat handwriting.

Wondering why her son was writing to them when he would be home in a few minutes, Narcissa headed towards Lucius' study so they could open the letter together. Narcissa burst into Lucius' study, thrusting the letter at her husband and explaining it was from Draco.

"Why is Draco writing to us today?" Lucius asked his wife.

"I don't know, open it and let's see what it says." Narcissa said.

Lucius opened the letter and began reading out loud even though Narcissa was standing beside him and was perfectly capable of reading the letter herself.

**_Dear Mother and Father,_**

**_I have decided to go travelling round Europe for a few months. I have already made all the arrangements so I won't be returning to the Manor. I am perfectly safe and will write to you as soon as I return to England._**

**_Love Draco._**

Lucius and Narcissa stared at the letter in shock, reading it several times to make sure they had understood it correctly.

"He's not coming home." Narcissa finally said in a quiet voice.

"It appears not, at least not anytime soon." Lucius sighed.

"What do we do?" Narcissa asked.

"What can we do. Draco is an adult and he's made his decision." Lucius said to his wife. "All we can do is wait for him to come home."

"What if he doesn't come home?" Narcissa asked, close to tears at the thought of never seeing her son again.

"He will." Lucius reassured his wife. "Draco won't abandon his family."

"I hope not." Narcissa said. "I better go and tell the elves there will be one less for dinner tonight."

Narcissa hurried out of the room to inform the house elves of the change of plans and Lucius picked up Draco's letter again and re-read it for the umpteenth time. Lucius couldn't help but wonder if his presence in the Manor had prompted Draco's decision to travel for a few months.

Lucius knew from Narcissa and his lawyer that Draco hadn't exactly been overjoyed at the news that he would be released so quickly. Apparently the weekend Draco was at home sorting everything out with the lawyer and Narcissa he had been quiet and detached, offering very little in the way of conversation.

Putting the letter down Lucius turned back to the papers he was working on, a contract signing over half his business to Draco. Lucius had been unsure whether Draco would be interested in working alongside him but it was something he had been planning on discussing with his son over the coming days. There was a time that Draco joining the family business was guaranteed but with everything that had happened in the last few years Lucius knew it was a possibility his son would want to seek employment elsewhere. The thought of Draco not wanting to work with him stung Lucius but he would accept whatever decision Draco made.

Lucius put the papers in his drawer and stood up to leave the study. He needed to find Narcissa as he was fairly certain the unexpected news from Draco had shaken his wife. Leaving his study Lucius hoped that Draco was just travelling for a few months and would soon return home. It would destroy Narcissa to lose Draco permanently but Lucius was confident his son loved his mother enough to come home despite any problems he may have with him.

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**The Burrow.**

Molly Weasley had put dinner in the oven and was putting the finishing touches to her black forest gateau when an owl appeared at the window. Letting the owl into the house, Molly untied the bulky letter, surprised to see Hermione's neat writing on the front of the envelope. As the owl flew away Molly opened the envelope and pulled out two smaller letters, each with Hermione's distinctive writing on the front.

Molly put the letter addressed to Harry, Ron and Ginny on the table and opened the one addressed to her and Arthur. Molly sat down at the table as she read the short letter Hermione had penned.

**_Dear Molly and Arthur,_**

**_First of all I would like to thank you both for always being there for me and looking after me. Especially after the death of my parents. I love you both and you and everyone else are like my second family._**

**_The reason I'm writing is that I have decided to go travelling for a while. I don't want you to worry about me as I am perfectly safe and happy._**

**_When I return to England I will write to you and let you know I'm back. Hopefully my leaving so suddenly won't affect our relationship and we can still keep in contact when I return._**

**_Give my love to the rest of the family and I hope you all have a great summer._**

**_Love Hermione. xxx_**

Molly read the letter a second time wondering why Hermione was so unsure if their relationship would be the same once she returned. Molly considered Harry and Hermione part of the family and nothing could change that. Molly still considered Hermione family even after her and Ron had broken up, of course that was entirely her son's fault with his ridiculous need to sleep around to determine if Hermione was what he actually wanted.

Molly wondered if Ron and his atrocious behaviour was any factor in Hermione's decision to travel. Molly and Arthur had been appalled and disgusted with the way Ron had treated Hermione and the shocking way he had conducted his love life since the break-up. Molly had expressed her disgust with Ron on numerous occasions and in the past few months he had gotten his act together and started to behave more like the respectable young man she had raised.

The slamming open of the kitchen door and Harry, Ron and Ginny rushing into the kitchen disturbed Molly's peace and quiet. From the frantic looks on the three teenagers faces they were worried about Hermione's disappearance.

"There's a letter on the table for you three." Molly said before anyone had a chance to speak.

"We've got more important things to worry about than letters. Hermione's missing." Ron panted out.

"She's not." Molly shook her head as she walked over to the oven. "Read the letter."

Molly cast a few spells on the oven so that the food wouldn't burn and left the kitchen, leaving the three teenagers alone to read their letter. Harry picked up the letter, noticing Hermione's handwriting at once.

"It's from Hermione." Harry said, showing Ron and Ginny the envelope.

"Open it." Ginny said as she and Ron flanked Harry on either side.

Harry ripped opened the letter and the three of them began reading.

**_Dear Harry, Ron and Ginny,_**

**_I was planning on writing to you all separately but I just found myself repeating what I had already written so I decided to write a joint letter._**

**_I have gone travelling for the summer. I don't want you to worry about me as I'm perfectly safe and happy. I'll contact you when I return and we can meet up and I'll tell you all about my adventures. I hope all three of you have a great summer and have lots of fun._**

**_Good luck to Ginny with her Quidditch trial, you'll be great Gin. And good luck to the boys for their final Auror test, you'll both do brilliant and be great Auror's._**

**_See you at the end of summer._**

**_Love Hermione. xxx_**

"This isn't right, we have to do something." Ron said, not wanting to believe what he was reading.

"Do what? It's perfectly obvious Hermione's just gone away for the summer." Ginny said.

"This could be a forgery, we need to report her as a missing person." Ron insisted.

"She's not missing though." Harry pointed out. "You know as well as I do, with this letter we can't report Hermione as missing. It obviously in her handwriting and it says when she'll be back. if she's still not home by the end of summer then we can report her missing."

"She could be dead by then." Ron said.

"Don't be an idiot, Ron." Ginny snapped. "Is it any wonder she didn't want to come home after the way you've treated her. I hope she has a great time."

Ron glared at his sister for a minute before turning round and storming upstairs. Harry looked at Ginny for a few minutes before he gestured they go out into the garden.

"Did you know about this?" Harry asked once they were sitting on the old swing in the Burrow's back garden. "You don't seem very shocked."

"No I didn't know." Ginny said. "But I do have a theory on who she's with."

"Who?" Harry asked intrigued.

"Malfoy." Ginny said causing Harry's mouth to drop open in shock. "I've suspected for a while that there's being something going on between them."

"So you think they've run off together." Harry sounded sceptical of the idea. He could well believe they were romantically involved after witnessing how they interacted in Hogsmeade but running away wasn't like Hermione.

"I don't know. Maybe they just decided to spend the summer travelling before they faced everyone." Ginny said. "There's going to be a lot of people against them."

"Are you?" Harry asked.

"No, I think it's good. Hermione's the happiest I've ever seen her and if that's because of Malfoy then I'll support her." Ginny said before she turned to Harry. "What about you?"

"If Hermione's happy then so am I. I said before Christmas that Malfoy had changed to befriend Hermione, he's definitely changed if they're dating." Harry said. "As long as he doesn't hurt Hermione then we'll have no problems."

"Do you think there's a way to find out if she's with Malfoy?" Ginny asked.

"Other than visiting the Manor and asking for him I don't think so, and that's not something I'll be doing. " Harry said, grimacing at the thought of asking Lucius about Draco's whereabouts. "Besides she obviously doesn't want us knowing who she's with yet so I don't want to cause trouble with Malfoy's parents. If we're right, I'm guessing they have no idea about Hermione and it's not our place to tell."

"So we wait until she returns." Ginny said and Harry nodded. "Ron's not going to like it."

Harry snorted at Ginny's statement. "No he won't, but it's his own fault. He may be my best friend but so is Hermione and the way he treated her was bad."

"You know for ages I hoped they would get back together." Ginny said, leaning against Harry.

"So did I." Harry suddenly sat upright as he remembered something. "Shit, I forgot. Ron has an engagement ring, he was planning on proposing to Hermione."

"What, that's ridiculous." Ginny said, unsure of why Ron would propose to someone he wasn't even dating.

"I may have encouraged him." Harry said quietly.

"Why would you encourage him, Harry?" Ginny asked, bemused by her brother and boyfriend's antics.

"Because I always figured him and Hermione would work things out." Harry said. "I sort of hoped that things could go back to how they were meant to be, me and you together and Ron and Hermione together."

"I'm not sure if that's how things were ever meant to be." Ginny said. She understood Harry's thinking and once thought in a similar fashion but she had accepted that Hermione and Ron weren't meant to be.

"He's going to be devastated." Harry said, thinking of how happy Ron had been lately at the thought of marrying Hermione.

"We need to make sure by the time Hermione returns that Ron has moved on and is over her." Ginny said, standing up.

"But what if we're wrong and she's not with Malfoy. What if she comes back wanting to give Ron another chance and he's over her." Harry said.

"It's not happening. Whether she's with Malfoy or not, Hermione made it clear her relationship with Ron is over for good." Ginny said as she grabbed Harry's hand and began walking back to the house.

Harry and Ginny walked back to the house each determined to help Ron get over Hermione before she returned to the country, possibly with Draco Malfoy in tow.


	18. Wedding Bells

**Paris.**

Hermione sighed in happiness and let Draco pull her back onto the large bed. It was the morning of their wedding and Hermione had received a note from McGonagall ten minutes ago informing her she was at the hotel and what room she was staying in. Since then Hermione had been trying to leave but Draco kept distracting her.

"I have to go, McGonagall will be waiting." Hermione said, sighing as Draco placed soft kisses on her neck and shoulder. "You know it's bad luck for the bride and groom to see each other the morning of the wedding."

"Ridiculous superstition." Draco said in between kisses.

Hermione finally found her willpower and wriggled out of Draco's embrace and off the bed. "I'm off now, I'll see you later." Picking up her bag she blew a kiss to Draco and headed out of the hotel room. Hermione smiled as she heard Draco muttering in disappointment as she left the room.

It only took Hermione a few minutes to find the room McGonagall was in. While the headmistress wasn't staying in Paris overnight she had hired the room so that Hermione could get ready away from Draco's prying eyes. Hermione knew that Kingsley would probably be arriving at her and Draco's room shortly to help Draco prepare. Hermione was extremely grateful to all the help and support that McGonagall and Kingsley had given her and Draco, she knew without their help that the wedding probably wouldn't have happened.

Hermione knocked on the door and McGonagall opened it with a large smile on her face.

"Hermione, how are you feeling?" McGonagall asked as she ushered the brunette into the room.

"Fine." Hermione said. "Although I am starting to get nervous."

"That's only natural." McGonagall said. "I've ran you a bath. I thought it might relax you before you started getting ready."

"Thank you. That sounds great." Hermione smiled at McGonagall before she headed into the bathroom carrying her bag that held her underwear and makeup.

Entering the bathroom Hermione found the large tub filled with warm water and the scent of jasmine floating in the air. Hermione stripped off and climbed into the tub, immediately relaxing into the water. Hermione soaked for nearly half an hour before she emerged and dried herself on one of the fluffy hotel towels.

Once she was dry Hermione reached into her bag for her underwear, a lacy white set with a strapless bra and tiny knickers. Hermione pulled on her skimpy underwear and pulled a hotel bathrobe around her before she re-emerged into the bedroom.

McGonagall had gotten changed into a set of dark blue dress robes that sparkled as she moved and she had hung Hermione's dress up on the outside of the wardrobe.

"Should we start with you hair and make-up?" McGonagall asked.

Hermione nodded and sat down in a chair while she fished in her bag and handed her small make-up bag to McGonagall. McGonagall rooted through Hermione's make-up bag as the two women decided what to use. Lining up all the make-up they intended using on the table McGonagall cast a charm on it and it magically started applying itself to Hermione's face. Neither woman was particularly interested in make-up so they had decided magic was the best way to get the natural look Hermione was after.

Once Hermione's make-up was applied, looking so perfect you would think it had been professionally done, McGonagall produced the magical hair comb they had bought in Italy. McGonagall muttered an incantation on the comb and carefully placed it in Hermione's hair. Hermione's hair immediately started twisting itself into a sophisticated up do, leaving only a few tendrils of hair framing her face.

Hermione added her jewellery, her necklace that she had gotten off Draco for Christmas and a pair of diamond drop earrings she had gotten from her mother for her seventeenth birthday.

"Time for your dress." McGonagall said once Hermione's hair and make-up was finished.

McGonagall turned away while Hermione shed her bathrobe and pulled on her wedding dress. Hermione used her wand to make sure everything was perfect before she slipped on her shoes and told McGonagall she was ready.

"You look lovely." McGonagall said, tearing up at the beautiful sight before her.

"Thank you. I just wish my parents were here." Hermione said, a hint of sadness in her voice.

"They would have been so proud of you." McGonagall said, she knew Hermione's parents had died but she didn't know exactly how or when. "You've become an amazing young woman."

Hermione smiled at McGonagall, trying her hardest not to cry and smudge her make-up.

"Come on we'll be late if we don't leave now." McGonagall said, seeing that Hermione was getting emotional.

After checking they had everything McGonagall offered Hermione her arm and the two women apparated to the French Ministry of Magic.

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Draco paced the small rooftop garden at the Ministry nervously as they waited for Hermione and McGonagall to arrive. Kingsley was standing nearby with his assistant, who had organised all the relevant paperwork and would make sure everything ran smoothly in the two ceremony's.

The small garden was a mixture of lush green lawn, stone pavements winding their way through the gardens and various plants and beautiful flowers. At one end of the garden was a rose arch which was where the ceremonies were going to take place.

Draco suddenly felt Kingsley's hand on his shoulder. "They're here." Kingsley said to the nervous blond.

Draco nodded and took his place in front of Kingsley, just in front of the arch. From the angle he was standing Draco could see Paris spread out below him, twinkling in the afternoon light. Kingsley suddenly smiled as the doors opened and Hermione and McGonagall emerged onto the roof.

Draco turned to look at Hermione, amazed by the sight in front of him. Hermione was always beautiful but in the long elegant gown that hugged her entire body and emphasised every curve she looked stunning.

McGonagall and Hermione walked along the stone pavement until they reached the rose arch. McGonagall sat on a chair next to Kingsley's assistant while Hermione joined Draco in front of Kingsley.

"You look amazing." Draco said quietly as Hermione reached his side.

"Thanks, you don't look too bad yourself." Hermione replied.

Draco was wearing dark grey trousers and a white shirt and pale silver tie. Despite deciding to go for the casual look Draco still managed to look his normal impeccable self.

Kingsley cleared his throat to get the couple's attention before he began the ceremony. Since they were having a bonding ceremony after the wedding the couple had agreed for the marriage ceremony to be muggle style.

As Draco and Hermione repeated their vows after Kingsley they kept eye contact with each other the entire time. The only time either of them looked away from the other was when Draco slipped the wedding ring on Hermione's finger. Hermione looked down at the silver band, tears starting to flow as she realised she was now married. When Hermione looked back up at Draco he carefully wiped the tears from her cheek with his thumb.

Both Hermione and Draco were vaguely aware of McGonagall sitting behind them sniffing softly as Kingsley completed the ceremony. When Kingsley announced the couple were officially married and that Draco could kiss his bride, the blond swept Hermione into a passionate kiss that Kingsley had to eventually break before they got carried away.

After the ceremony Kingsley's assistant, Stefan, produced the documents that needed signing to make the marriage official. Once they were sorted Kingsley began the bonding ceremony.

"Hold out your left hands." Kingsley instructed the couple.

Hermione and Draco both held out their left hands and Kingsley took hold of them and joined them together. Kingsley produced his wand and said something that neither Hermione or Draco understood. For nearly five minutes Kingsley waved his wand over Hermione and Draco's joined hands and spoke in the mysterious language. As Kingsley was speaking the spell produced a gold mist that wrapped around the couple's joined hands, making them shimmer and look almost translucent.

"I bond together these two souls, Draco Lucius Malfoy and Hermione Jean Granger. Let their lives and magic be forever intertwined." Kingsley said in English, as the gold mist shimmered around Draco and Hermione's hand before engulfing their entire bodies. "Nothing may pull these two souls apart."

At Kingsley's words the gold mist disappeared and both Hermione and Draco felt a tingling sensation running throughout their bodies. Kingsley nodded at them to drop their hands. When they did they could see a shimmering gold thread running between them for a few minutes before it disappeared.

Hermione knew the thread symbolised the bonding and that her and Draco were now connected. She could feel a slight pulsing in her body and knew it was because Draco was near to her. She knew that if her and Draco were to be separated for any length of time the pulsing would become an ache that would get worse the longer her and Draco were apart. It was the part of the spell that bound people together as it was impossible to live with the pain of being away from your partner for any length of time.

"Now all we need to do is sign the paperwork." Kingsley said. "You need to sign using your wand so that the magic is binding."

Stefan produced another set of documents and everyone, including McGonagall as the witness to the ceremony, signed them using their wands to create a binding magical signature. Once they were done Stefan congratulated the couple and rushed off, he was heading back to London to submit the documents to the appropriate department in the Ministry.

"Congratulations, Mr and Mrs Malfoy." Kingsley turned to the newlyweds with a smile.

"Thank you for all you've done for us, we really appreciate it." Draco said, shaking Kingsley's hand.

"You're welcome." Kingsley said with a smile. "And I hope you both know that you can come to me anytime once you return. I'll be more than happy to help you in any way I can."

"Thanks Kingsley." Hermione hugged the Minister before turning to McGonagall. "I want to thank you as well, Professor, you've been a great help and support."

"It's my pleasure. I'm just pleased the two of you are happy." McGonagall said, still looking slightly teary eyed. The short but romantic ceremony and the obvious love between the couple had managed to reduce the strict Headmistress to tears on several occasions. "But I think it's time the pair of you started calling me Minerva. After all you've finished school."

"Thank you, Prof… Minerva." Draco corrected himself as McGonagall shot him her infamous stare that often terrified first years.

"I hope to hear from both of you regularly. I would like to know how your lives are progressing." McGonagall said, hugging Hermione and then Draco much to the blond's surprise.

"Draco, here's your portkey." Kingsley interrupted the conversation by handing Draco a coin. "It's set to activate in a few minutes."

"Why do we need a portkey?" Hermione asked.

"To take us to our hotel." Draco explained as he made Hermione hold onto the coin with him. "I've already transferred our luggage."

Hermione remembered Draco mentioning they were moving hotels but she hadn't expected to take a port key as she was sure he had said they were staying in a muggle hotel. Hermione was unable to question anything else as the portkey suddenly activated whisking her and Draco away from the Ministry's rooftop gardens.

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Hermione stared out at the view of Paris, she could clearly see the river Seine and the Eiffel Tower from where she was standing on the balcony of the honeymoon suite. After arriving in a back room via portkey, Hermione and Draco had gotten their key and arrived at the honeymoon suite which Draco had checked them into earlier in the day.

Upon arrival in the room Hermione was surprised to see a small picnic laid out on the balcony, along with a couple of bottles of champagne. The newly married couple had sat on the balcony most of the afternoon. As the afternoon drew to a close and the air turned colder Draco and Hermione had moved into the large room they were occupying.

Hermione turned away from the window and headed for the dressing table. Sitting down she took off her shoes and began to remove her make-up. She also took off her necklace and earrings and let her hair down from the comb that had kept it neat and tidy all day. Hermione had stood up and was just about to pull the zipper down on her dress when Draco emerged from the bathroom.

"Allow me." Draco said as he moved behind Hermione and slowly unzipped the gorgeous gown she had been wearing all day.

When the zipper was down Hermione stepped out of the dress and hung it over the back of a chair to keep it from getting wrinkled. Hermione turned back to Draco who was thoroughly enjoying the sight of Hermione in her skimpy underwear. Hermione took in Draco's half-dressed appearance, his tie had been removed and his shirt was hanging open where he had been in the process of removing it.

Draco walked over to where Hermione was standing and gently kissed his wife. "Have I told you how much I love you, Mrs Malfoy." Draco whispered in her ear.

Hermione grinned widely at her new name. Having a husband and being married was still slightly overwhelming but Hermione had to admit she loved being called Mrs Malfoy.

"No, but why don't you show me." She replied, pushing Draco's shirt off his shoulders.

Draco grinned and removed his shirt the rest of the way, he also removed his trousers before he suddenly grabbed Hermione and carried her to the bed. Draco lay Hermione in the centre of the bed and crawled on top of her, resting his weight on his arms that were braced either side of his wife.

Hermione wrapped her arms around Draco and pulled him closer, bringing their lips into contact. The couple lay kissing for several minutes, neither in any hurry to push things along. Eventually Draco pulled away and started kissing down Hermione's body. Hermione arched up slightly when Draco got to her bra so he could remove the lacy garment. Draco spent a good length of time lavishing Hermione's breasts and stomach with attention before he continued to move down her body.

By the time Draco removed her lacy knickers Hermione was writhing and moaning in need. It didn't take long for Draco's talented tongue to push Hermione over the edge, causing the brunette witch to scream out his name.

As Hermione recovered Draco moved back up Hermione's body so that she was pinned underneath him. When Hermione had sufficiently recovered and opened her eyes she found herself staring into Draco's grey orbs that shone with love for her. Draco brought his head down to passionately kiss Hermione, entering her at the same time.

Both moaned into the kiss at the intimate connection and Draco pulled back so he could look at Hermione as he made love to her. Hermione and Draco maintained eye contact as their bodies moved in perfect sync with each other.

Draco watched Hermione as she reached her peak again, her nails scratching down his back as she arched against him calling his name. A few seconds later Draco followed Hermione into bliss and collapsed against his wife.

"I love you." Draco said into Hermione's ear.

"I love you too, husband." Hermione said.

Draco smiled and rolled off Hermione, it was the first time she had referred to him as her husband and he liked the sound of it immensely. Once he was settled next to Hermione he pulled her into his arms and kissed her passionately. Within minutes their hands began wandering over each other's naked bodies, which led to another round of passionate lovemaking.


	19. A Tour of Europe

Draco and Hermione spent eight weeks on honeymoon, touring Europe and experiencing a mix of muggle and wizarding cultures and experiences.

The morning after their wedding Draco had insisted they go shopping as the clothes they had brought with them weren't really suitable for exploring Europe in the middle of summer. Hermione wasn't the slightest bit surprised to discover that Draco liked shopping for clothes. Back in school she had discovered he owned an obscene amount of clothes, all ridiculously expensive and of the best quality.

After spending their first morning in Paris shopping they then spent the rest of the week exploring the city. In the muggle part of the city they visited all the major tourist attractions; The Eifel Tower, The Louvre, Notre Dame Cathedral and The Palace of Versailles to name a few. The wizarding part of Paris didn't have a lot of tourist places except a stunning art gallery, that Hermione loved, plenty of shops and numerous expensive but delicious restaurants.

When it was time to leave Paris Draco explained that Kingsley had helped him organise Port Keys to every destination. Draco also explained that he had each Port Key in a bag and that they would each activate when it was time for them to change destination. Hermione had been amused to find that each Port Key was actually a key with the destination stamped on each piece of metal. Hermione had tried to peek at some of the destinations but Draco had stopped her, insisting she be surprised.

Their next destination was Monaco but unlike Paris there was no wizarding population so the five days they spent in the French Riviera were purely muggle.

Draco immediately took a liking to the array of expensive cars that was on show in Monaco. He decided that when they returned home he would learn how to drive and buy himself a Ferrari.

During the day the couple explored the city and spent a bit of time on the beach. On a night they often ate out and even attended an opera one evening. Draco even persuaded Hermione to visit Monte Carlo Casino one night.

Despite her initial reservations about gambling Hermione had a brilliant time at the casino, probably because by the time they left she had won over a hundred Euro's. Draco's evening wasn't quite as successful as ten minutes after they arrived in the casino Hermione spotted her husband using his wand to cheat at Roulette and promptly confiscated the piece of wood for the rest of the night.

When their time in Monaco came to an end, Draco announced they were moving countries. When they arrived at their next destination they were in a small wizarding village in Spain. Draco explained that they would spend a week in Spain and just visit various cities as daytrips.

The first place they visited was Pamplona to witness the running of the bulls. Hermione had read about the event numerous times and while she wasn't willing to witness a bull fight she did enjoy the festive atmosphere and the sense of danger that accompanied the event.

After visiting Pamplona Draco and Hermione explored wizarding Spain, not venturing into the muggle part of the country until their last outing. The day before they left Spain they visited Barcelona.

Hermione had visited Barcelona with her parents a couple of summers before she started Hogwarts. All she really remembered of her trip was visiting Barcelona Zoo and seeing Snowflake, the albino gorilla. Her only other vague memory of her visit was visiting Barcelona football stadium with her father who had been a massive football fan.

Hermione and Draco did neither of those things on their trip, they both decided they didn't fancy visiting the zoo and Draco didn't know what football was plus Hermione wasn't a big sports fan. Instead the couple did a bit of shopping and visited the other sites that Barcelona had to offer.

After nearly three weeks of travelling round the cities of France and Spain Draco and Hermione's honeymoon took a more sedate tone with their next destination, the Greek island of Zante.

Draco and Hermione stayed in a private villa on the beachfront and spent most of their time lounging around the beach and enjoying the sun. In the five days they were on the island the most active thing they did outside the bedroom was snorkelling.

After the relaxation of Zante the honeymoon then moved to Rome. Hermione loved exploring the historic city and had a long list of places her and Draco needed to visit within minutes of checking into their hotel.

Hermione and Draco spent nearly a week exploring Rome and visiting the numerous tourist attractions. Like Paris there was a strong wizarding community in Rome so Hermione and Draco shared their time between the two cultures. In the wizarding world they explored museums and art galleries and Hermione even discovered a large library which she fell in love with. In the muggle world they visited Vatican City, The Collosseum, The Sistine Chapel and The Trevi Fountain.

After exploring Rome the couple then spent three days in a wizarding spa at Lake Garda in the Italian Lakes. Like with the shopping it didn't come as a great surprise to Hermione to find that Draco thoroughly enjoyed the pampering experience of the five star spa.

The next destination came as a surprise to Hermione. She was expecting another city or a beach resort, instead they arrived at a secluded cabin in The Black Forest in Germany.

Draco and Hermione spent the next few days hiking in the forest and exploring the countryside before Draco produced the last Port Key. Hermione was thrilled at the thought of the last destination, Switzerland.

Hermione was even more thrilled when they arrived and she discovered their accommodation was a private cabin in St Moritz. The cabin was large and spacious with a small kitchen and a living area with comfortable sofa's and a roaring fire. Upstairs there was a bedroom with a king size four poster bed and a bathroom with a large sunken bath in the centre of the room.

The first time Draco and Hermione went skiing Hermione expected Draco to struggle to get the hang of things, it had taken her two visits with her parents before she herself was a competent skier. At first it looked like Hermione's prediction would come true as Draco struggled to come to terms with the muggle activity, however his natural balance and athletic ability soon showed himself as he began to master what he was learning. By the time they left the slopes on the first day Draco already had made good progress and a few days later he was skiing as though he had been doing it for years.

While Hermione was slightly put out that Draco mastered skiing so quick she was pleased that they could explore the slopes together. When they weren't skiing Draco and Hermione spent their time either exploring the surrounding area or in their cabin.

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**St. Moritz - Switzerland.**

It was the last night of their honeymoon and Hermione was sitting on the floor by the fire reading while Draco was having a shower. Hermione was enjoying the romantic setting and trying not to think about the fact that they would be returning home the following day and would have to face everyone.

Hermione had no idea what they were going to do once they returned home as Draco had arranged everything. At the time Hermione had been so busy concentrating on her exams to question Draco on what would happen after their honeymoon, but it had been something she had been meaning to talk to him about for the last few weeks.

Hermione put her book down just as Draco emerged from upstairs. Draco headed to the kitchen and returned with two glasses and a bottle of wine. Draco sat down next to Hermione and opened the wine. Pouring two glasses he handed one to Hermione.

"Thanks." Hermione said, taking the glass and taking a small drink.

"Are you alright? You look distracted." Draco asked, noticing Hermione's faraway expression.

"Just thinking about tomorrow." Hermione said.

"Ah, back to Reality." Draco said.

"Yes. What's the plan for tomorrow?" Hermione asked.

"I've booked us into a hotel and I've arranged with the manager that we have complete privacy so no-one finds out we're home before we're ready. I thought we could stay there while we sort things." Draco said.

"Like somewhere to live and jobs." Hermione said. In all their planning they hadn't really discussed where they were going to live or what they were going to do for a living.

"I've already gotten in touch with an estate agent. While we've been away she's been looking at potential houses for us to view when we get back." Draco said.

"Wizarding or muggle?" Hermione asked, surprised that Draco had so much organised.

"She's a wizarding estate agent but I did tell her we wouldn't mind living in the muggle world if the property was right." Draco said. "Did I do the right thing?" He asked, wondering if he should have consulted Hermione before making the arrangements.

"You did the right thing." Hermione reassured Draco. She was actually touched that he had organised everything and hadn't disturbed her studying. "If she's a witch aren't you worried that she might gossip about having you as a client?" She asked as an afterthought

"I paid her extra for her discretion." Draco shrugged.

Hermione knew he would also have likely threatened her as well but she also knew it was just habit on Draco's part to intimidate people, half the time she wasn't even sure he was aware that he was doing it.

"What about jobs? Do you have any idea what you want to do?" Hermione asked. She had no idea herself what she wanted to do and was starting to panic about her future.

"I do actually." Draco said, taking a drink of his wine. "You know I've always wanted to run father's potion company. I'm not sure if that will be an option any more so I thought I could start my own company. Hopefully at some point in the future I can combine it with father's company."

"That's a great idea." Hermione smiled. She really hoped that Lucius would accept her and Draco's relationship as Draco would be devastated if he lost his family permanently.

"I'm pleased you think so." Draco said. "I was hoping you might help me."

"You want me to work for you?" Hermione exclaimed.

"I was thinking more of a partnership." Draco said, he hadn't for one minute considered that Hermione would agree to anything less than equal partners.

Hermione sat staring at the fire for several minutes as she thought about Draco's offer, her mind was already beginning to start forming plans and working out what need to be sorted out.

"You don't have to if you want to do something else. It was just an idea." Draco said, taking Hermione's silence as a negative response.

"I think it's a great idea." Hermione said, leaning over and kissing Draco gently. "Although it's going to take a lot of organising."

"Which is where you come in." Draco said. "Potions I'm good with but I'm not sure how to go about starting a business."

"I'm not sure either but I'm sure together we can work it out." Hermione said.

"I'm sure we can." Draco said, smiling at his wife.

Hermione smiled back and leant forward to press her lips against Draco's. Draco deepened the kiss and pulled Hermione so that she was sitting on his lap.

"What do we do about getting in contact with people?" Hermione asked, breaking the kiss.

"I suppose we can do that whenever we're ready." Draco said.

"Do you think we should get settled and maybe try and find a house first?" Hermione asked.

"Why don't we just wait and see what feels right." Draco said, pulling Hermione back towards him. "I think we should stop talking about tomorrow and concentrate on enjoying the last night of our honeymoon."

"I like that plan." Hermione said with a smile.

Draco kissed Hermione softly before he began trailing kisses along her jawline and down her neck. Hermione moaned loudly when Draco began to suck at her neck, she knew he would probably be leaving a mark but she couldn't be bothered to stop him. Satisfied he had left his mark on Hermione, Draco returned to kiss her lips as his hand started wandering under the soft jumper she was wearing. Hermione broke the kiss and removed her jumper before she pressed her lips against Draco's again, her hands unbuttoning the shirt he was wearing.

Amid the kissing and touching, which got more frenzied as their passion mounted, the couple's clothes came off until they were fully undressed. In the flickering light of the fire Draco and Hermione made love, making the most of their last night in Switzerland before they had to return to London and face their friends and family.


	20. Putting Down Roots

**London.**

Hermione studied the parchment in front of her, making corrections where she wasn't happy with the wording. When she had a letter she was happy with she transferred it to a fresh bit of parchment and sealed it up. Hermione placed the letter on top of the two that had already been written and were just waiting to be delivered.

Hermione and Draco were finally getting in touch with their friends and family after being back in London for four days. Hermione had initially wanted to wait until they had a house sorted but as things weren't progressing well in that department she had decided it was time to re-enter the real world.

Hermione and Draco were currently staying in the penthouse of The Opal Dragon, the most expensive wizarding hotel in London. The manager had arranged for them to have total privacy and apart from one bell-boy nobody knew they were occupying the suite.

The first day back in London Hermione and Draco had wrote to Kingsley and McGonagall to inform them of their return and to thank them again for their support. Both had written back and arranged meetings for the following day. Kingsley arrived at the couple's hotel for lunch and the three discussed Hermione and Draco's business plan, something Kingsley was keen to help with. The same day Hermione and Draco had visited McGonagall's house for dinner where they told her all about their honeymoon. Like Kingsley McGonagall had offered her help with the new business if they need it.

The next day had been the first day that the couple had started looking for a house. Hermione immediately disliked the estate agent, she only spoke to Draco and then she proceeded to flirt with him despite Hermione's constant presence and Draco referring to her as his wife on numerous occasions. Hermione had also been distinctly unimpressed with the property's the estate agent had shown them, she seemed to be under the impression that because Draco was rich all the properties they viewed must be ridiculously overpriced.

After two days of fruitless searching through the houses the agent had picked out Hermione had demanded to see a list of properties the company were dealing with. Hermione spent the afternoon searching through the list and telling the agent which ones they wanted to go and visit. When the agent had quibbled about showing them the places that Hermione had picked Hermione told the witch if she didn't arrange the viewings that they would find a house through another estate agent and they wouldn't be paying them for the poor service they had already received. The agent quickly backpedalled and arranged for the viewings, which were taking place in a few minutes.

Hermione picked up the letters and walked over to the doorway. She pressed the buzzer that would bring the bell-boy to their room. The manager had arranged it so they dealt with the same man each time so that they had total privacy. The last thing Hermione and Draco wanted was for anyone to find out they were back before they saw their friends and family.

Less than five minutes after buzzing for help, there was a knock on the door and Hermione opened it to find the bell-boy on the other side.

"Hi, Eric." Hermione smiled at the man. "Can you send out these three letters please."

"Of course Mrs Malfoy." Eric said, taking the letters. "Is there anything else you need?"

"No. we're going out in a minute and could be gone all day so if we get any response will you leave the letters on the table please." Hermione said.

"Will do." Eric said as he headed back to the lifts.

Hermione closed the door and began to gather her things for the day. After viewing some houses they were meeting with Kingsley who had found them an ideal property for their potions company.

"Draco are you ready?" Hermione called to her husband who was currently in the bathroom.

"Yeah, I'm coming." Draco called before he emerged from the bathroom a few seconds later. "Did you finish your letter?" He asked as he picked up his wallet and pushed it into his pocket.

"Yes, I gave all three to Eric so he could send them." Hermione said as they headed for the door. "We might have some responses when we return."

"Hopefully." Draco said as they reached the private lift that took them into a small room where they could safely apparate in and out of the building.

As they entered the lift and headed down to the apparating room both Draco and Hermione thought about the letters they had just wrote. Draco had written to his parents informing them he was back and need to speak to them, he asked if they could have dinner soon so they could talk. Hermione had written two letters, one to the Weasley's and another joint one to Harry, Ron and Ginny. The letter to the Weasley's informed them that she had returned and was hopeful they could meet once she had seen her friends. The letter to Harry, Ron and Ginny was asking for a meeting between them as she wanted to tell them something.

When Hermione and Draco arrived in the small room they took out their wands and apparated to the pre-arranged meeting place with the estate agent. The meeting place was an alleyway behind the first house they were viewing. Hermione and Draco arrived first but the estate agent was only a second behind them in arriving.

"Mr and Mrs Malfoy." The agent greeted as she arrived. She had finally decided against flirting with her attractive blond client as she had reluctantly admitted to herself that he only had eyes for his feisty wife.

Hermione and Draco greeted the agent and they headed to the first property. The first two properties were in the muggle world but on paper they were exactly the type of place Draco and Hermione wanted.

The first house was a brick building in Southampton. Neither Hermione or Draco were impressed with it as they entered the garden and headed to the front door. It was a lot more run down than the pictures they had seen of it the previous day.

"It doesn't exactly look like the pictures." Draco observed as the agent opened the front door.

"Well the pictures were taken some years ago." The agent said, as they entered the dusty building. She was enjoying the fact that the bossy brunette witch had mainly picked such bad buildings to view.

Hermione tutted at the company's lack of disclosure as she looked around the hallway. As they examined the house Hermione could see the potential for the building but she was looking for somewhere that her and Draco could move into immediately.

Once they had looked round the house Draco and Hermione had asked to view the next property. Unfortunately the next two houses were in similar condition to the first one. Like the first one Hermione could see they would be decent houses if they were restored and worked on but she didn't plan on spending months decorating her new house.

The fourth house they viewed was in impeccable condition but it was a lot smaller than advertised. After declining the fourth house they were left with one more option. The last option was a house just outside of Hogsmeade, which neither Draco or Hermione had ever remembered seeing before.

When they arrived at the house, Hermione and Draco realised why they had never seen the house before. The estate agent's description of the house stated it was just outside of Hogsmeade but in reality it was a good few miles outside of the wizarding village. You could only just see the village in the distance if you looked in the right direction. You could also see the high towers of Hogwarts slightly further afield as well.

Despite the house being further away from Hogsmeade than the couple original thought, Hermione was immediately taken with the house and the surrounding area. Being so close to Hogwarts also brought back lots of good memories for the couple as it was where they had fallen in love.

The house was a medium sized white brick house with a long winding drive leading up to the front door. On either side of the drive were rose bushes and the lawn was neat and tidy. Inside the house was just as neat and stylish. It had three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen and dining room combined and a large front room. There was also four spare rooms that Draco and Hermione could use as a library or offices. The back garden was large and in immaculate condition.

After having a look around the house Draco and Hermione asked the estate agent to leave them alone for a few minutes.

"What do you think?" Draco asked even though he was fairly confident Hermione loved the house.

"I love it." Hermione said, looking out the window into the large back garden.

"Are you alright with the location. It's more out of the way then we originally thought." Draco said. He actually liked the idea of living so far from other people as that was how he had lived his whole life, the Manor in which he had grown up in was miles away from the nearest house.

"It's fine. That's the beauty of magic, with apparition and the floo network it doesn't matter how far in the country we live." Hermione said.

"So this is it, our new home." Draco said, looking around the fully equipped kitchen.

Hermione nodded enthusiastically. Draco called the estate agent back into the room and they began sorting out the legal requirements to buying the house. Once everything was sorted, the agent promised then they would have the contract and keys the following day, Draco grabbed onto Hermione's hand and apparated them to where they were meeting Kingsley.

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Hermione and Draco met Kingsley in a muggle park just around the corner to the Ministry of Magic. As they greeted the Minister Hermione kept an eye out in case anyone spotted them. After exchanging greetings Kingsley apparated the couple to the property he thought would be ideal for their business.

Kingsley apparated Hermione and Draco into a large reception area. As they looked around they realised the entire front of the building was glass and they had a stunning view of the newly refurbished Diagon Alley.

"What is this place?" Draco asked, wondering if the shoppers in the nearby street could see them. "I can never remember a building like this in Diagon Alley."

"It's one of several brand new buildings that were erected at the top end of Diagon Alley. The whole point is to bring new businesses to the area." Kingsley explained. "Some of them are being sold floor by floor but some, like this one, are being sold as a whole building."

"What's with the glass front?" Hermione asked, trying to make sure she couldn't be seen clearly from the street.

"It's one sided glass." Kingsley said, laughing at Hermione who was standing behind a beam. "From outside the building looks to be made of black glass that you can't see inside."

Happy they couldn't be seen from outside Hermione and Draco relaxed for the rest of the tour. There were several floors and as they toured the building Hermione could already see how the labs could be set out. By the time they reached the top floor, which Draco thought would make great offices, the couple were quite happy with the building.

"I take it you like it?" Kingsley said to the enthusiastic couple. "Because it's empty at the minute the builders can transform it anyway you wish before you move in."

After a brief discussion with Kingsley, the Minister arranged for Draco and Hermione to meet with the builders the next day to finalise plans and to buy the building. After thanking Kingsley for his help the couple headed back to the hotel to begin working on plans for their new house and their new business.

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The first thing Hermione did when they returned to the hotel was check to see if there had been any response to their letters. She was both pleased and nervous to find three envelopes sitting on the table.

"Anything?" Draco asked as he removed his jacket and shoes.

"Yes, everyone's replied." Hermione said, staring at the three envelopes. One had her name in Molly's neat writing, the second was her name written by Ginny and the third had Draco's name written in elegant script.

"Let's read them, then." Draco said.

Hermione picked up the letters and walked over to sit on the bed next to Draco. She handed him his letter and looked at her own wondering whose to open first. As Draco ripped open his letter Hermione opened the one from Molly first.

It was just a brief letter saying it was wonderful to have her back and after she had seen Harry, Ron and Ginny she must attend dinner at the Burrow and catch up with the rest of the family. Hermione wanted to meet with her friends first as she wasn't sure if she would still be welcome at The Burrow after they discovered her marriage.

After putting Molly's letter to one side Hermione opened the one that was obviously written by Ginny. The letter expressed how thrilled her friends were to have her home and they wanted to see her as soon as possible. Hermione was pleased that they didn't seem to be mad at her for disappearing, although all that could change when they discovered why she had disappeared.

While Hermione was reading her letters Draco had opened his from his mother. Narcissa had expressed her joy at having Draco back but she was bemused by the fact he had yet to return home. She also said she wanted to see him as soon as possible.

"What did they say?" Draco asked once Hermione had finished reading her letters.

"Molly wants me to go round for dinner as soon as I've seen Harry, Ron and Ginny. And they want to meet as soon as possible. How about you?" Hermione said.

"Mother wants to meet as soon as possible." Draco said. "Who should we meet first?"

Hermione thought for a few minutes before she responded. "Well I was hoping to meet Harry and Ron in neutral territory, probably something in public. So it's probably better to meet your parents first."

"Well since we're busy tomorrow how I about I write and arrange for us to go to dinner with my parents tomorrow night. We can meet your friends the day after." Draco said.

"That sounds good." Hermione said, trying to avoid thinking about the fact she would have to return to Malfoy Manor.

"Should we write the letters now so we can get started on our other plans?" Draco asked.

Hermione nodded and the two set about writing their respective letters. When they were done Draco sent for Eric so he could send them as soon as possible. Once the letters were done Draco and Hermione sat down and started planning their business and organising what needed doing in their new house.


	21. Dinner at The Manor

**A/N - Thanks to the reviewers that mentioned the Malfoy family tree. I had totally forgotten about it but I have added a bit to explain why neither Lucius or Narcissa noticed the addition of Hermione on it. One reviewer also mentioned they took no pictures of the wedding which again hadn't occurred to me but it is something I will deal with later. I do try and include things like this that I may have forgotten so thank you to people who review and help make the story better.**

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Draco stared at his reflection in the bathroom mirror as he prepared himself for the upcoming visit to the Manor. He had no idea how his father would react to Hermione so he was bracing himself to once again disappoint and anger his father. Draco knew that his mother would eventually come to accept Hermione as his wife and he was hoping that she could convince Lucius to do the same.

Draco was also worried about Hermione, despite insisting she was fine about dinner with his parents she had become quieter and more withdrawn as the day had progressed. Draco couldn't blame her for being reluctant to return to the house where she was tortured during the war, he himself hadn't entered that particular room since that terrible event had taken place.

Draco eventually left the bathroom and entered the hotel room to find Hermione standing by the window looking at the view of London. Draco walked up behind his wife and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"You look gorgeous." He said, placing a soft kiss on Hermione's neck.

"Thank you." Hermione said, smiling slightly at the compliment. She was wearing a form fitting black dress that came to just above her knee that she had picked up in Paris.

"I can go alone if you want." Draco said quietly, offering Hermione an escape from something he knew she was dreading.

Hermione turned around in Draco's arms so she was facing the blond. "I'm coming, we agreed to face people together."

"I know, but there's a good chance my father will be horribly rude to you." Draco said.

"I know." Hermione said. "There's a good chance Ron will be rude to you tomorrow."

"I can handle the Weasel." Draco scoffed.

"And I can handle your father." Hermione said even though she wasn't looking forward to seeing Lucius Malfoy again.

"Fine but if he gets too bad we're leaving straight away." Draco said.

"No." Hermione shook her head. "If we want him to accept us we have to be calm and rational, storming off in a huff because he's insulted me will get us nowhere."

"I'll try but I can't promise anything." Draco said.

"Come on we should go." Hermione said, hoping Lucius wasn't so bad that Draco walked straight out without having the chance to talk to his father.

Hermione and Draco walked towards the fireplace in the suite that the hotel manager had kindly connected to the floo network for the night. Hermione and Draco both grabbed a handful of floo powder before Draco stepped into the flames and flooed to his childhood home, Hermione following directly behind them.

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Narcissa paced the floor in front of the fire in the front room. Draco would be arriving any minute and she was eager to see her son. She was also curious about the guest he had said he was bringing to dinner. Narcissa suspected this mystery person was the reason behind his two month holiday in Europe.

Narcissa spun round as the floo network sounded and the instant Draco stepped out of the flames she pulled him into a hug.

"It's so good to see you." Narcissa said.

"It's good to see you too, mother." Draco said disentangling himself from his mother's embrace.

As she stepped away from Draco, Narcissa spotted the young woman standing behind her son. Narcissa stared in shock as she recognised the girl as Hermione Granger. Narcissa was unsure of why the girl was with Draco and she was even more unsure why she would return to the place she was brutally tortured during the war. The memories of watching her sister torment the young woman in front of her had driven Narcissa to lock up the room where it had happened permanently.

"Mother I would like you to meet Hermione." Draco said, taking hold of Hermione's hand and pulling her to stand beside him.

As soon as Draco spoke Hermione's name Narcissa understood exactly what the young woman was doing with Draco. It was extremely obvious to her that her son was in love with the girl.

"It's nice to meet you Miss Granger." Narcissa said politely. While she had nothing against the girl personally she knew that Lucius would not be happy about Draco's choice of girlfriend.

"It's nice to meet you too, Mrs Malfoy." Hermione said, relieved that Draco's mother hadn't immediately treated her like she was dirt.

"Where's father?" Draco asked even though he was dreading his reaction to Hermione's presence.

"He's in his study, I'll go and get him." Narcissa said, deciding to give her husband advance warning of who Draco had brought to dinner.

As Narcissa left to fetch Lucius from his study, Draco led Hermione over to a small white sofa and the pair of them sat down.

"Are you alright?" Draco asked.

"I'm fine." Hermione said, smiling reassuringly at Draco. She was actually feeling a lot better after Narcissa had been perfectly polite towards her.

A couple of minutes later Lucius and Narcissa walked into the room. Lucius glared at Draco and Hermione, his eyes focusing on their intertwined hands.

"Hello father." Draco said.

"Draco." Lucius said sharply as he sat down in one of the chairs opposite where Hermione and Draco were sitting. "Do you care to explain what's going on?" He asked, looking at Hermione with a sneer.

"I've brought Hermione to meet you and mother." Draco said, building himself up for the main revelation.

"And why would you want to do that?" Lucius sneered.

"Because she's my wife." Draco said, squeezing Hermione's hand for moral support.

"WIFE." Lucius exploded, turning red in the face.

"Oh dear." Narcissa mumbled, sinking onto the chair next to Lucius' in shock. She had thought it was bad when she thought that Hermione was just Draco's girlfriend but it was now ten times worse.

"Yes, we got married in June." Draco said, not intimidated by his father's outburst.

"Why didn't we know this?" Lucius asked, turning to his wife. "Why didn't it show up on the family tree?"

"It probably did. But neither of us ever use that room, it's still waiting to be re-decorated." Narcissa said with a shrug.

Since the end of the war Narcissa had been re-decorating the Manor to brighten it up and dispel the sense of horror she had felt at what had happened in her home during the war. However the dark drawing room in which the Malfoy family tree was located was still on her list to sort out and as such she hadn't set foot in the room in over a year.

"I won't stand for this, Draco." Lucius said, turning back to face Draco. "There's no way I'm letting our pureblood line be tainted by the likes of her."

"It's too late father." Draco said. "We're already married so there's nothing you can do about it."

"There is." Lucius said darkly. "I might not approve of divorce but it's the only option. I promise you I'll have this marriage terminated by this time tomorrow."

"You won't." Draco smirked. "We're not just married, we're bonded."

Narcissa stared in shock at her son and his new wife while Lucius opened and closed his mouth a few times as he tried to digest the news that he couldn't do anything about Draco's marriage.

"You stupid boy." Lucius said eventually. "Do you have any idea what you've done?"

"Yes, I've married the woman I love." Draco said, smiling at Hermione who smiled back at him.

Lucius snorted in disgust while Narcissa couldn't help but smile at her son's obvious happiness. She had picked up on the fact that Draco loved Hermione when he had first arrived but now she could clearly see the witch also loved her son. It was clear when they looked at each other that they only had eyes for each other.

"Do you honestly expect us to accept this?" Lucius asked, shaking his head in confusion. "A mudblood in the family."

"Don't ever call my wife that again." Draco said, staring at his father in disgust and anger. "You will accept that Hermione is my wife or we're finished."

"You can't mean that, Draco." Narcissa gasped, horrified of the prospect of losing her son.

"I'm sorry mother but I do. Hermione is my wife and if you and father can't accept that then I don't want you in my life." Draco said.

"I suppose you should leave then." Lucius said coldly. He didn't want to lose his son but he wasn't prepared to accept his ultimatum.

"No." Narcissa said, standing up and glaring at her husband. "I will not lose my son. Him and Hermione have come for dinner, so we will have dinner like a civilised family."

"Mother, we don't have to." Draco said. "Maybe it is for the best if Hermione and I leave."

"No." Narcissa shook her head and turned to face Draco and Hermione. "I know this won't be easy and it will take some getting used to but I won't let this family be torn apart any more than it already is."

Draco stood up and hugged him mother briefly. "Thank you for trying." He said, pleased that his mother hadn't just followed his father in his opinions.

"Why don't you take Hermione into the dining room. Your father and I will be along in a moment." Narcissa said.

Draco and Hermione quickly exited the room leaving the two elder Malfoy's alone. Draco led Hermione down a long brightly lit hallway and into a medium sized room. Hermione had already noticed how much brighter and welcoming the Manor was than it had been on her previous visit.

The dining room was also a bright and cheerful room, with the table set out neatly. Draco pulled out a chair for Hermione and sat down next to her.

"Are you alright?" Hermione asked Draco. She had been pleased that her husband had remained calm and hadn't lost his temper in the face of Lucius' behaviour.

"Yes. It's actually going a lot better than I thought it would." Draco admitted. "At least whatever happens I won't lose mother. Hopefully she can get father to come round."

"Hopefully." Hermione agreed. Despite Draco often saying Narcissa was more tolerant than Lucius she still hadn't expected her to be so supportive.

Draco and Hermione sat in silence, both lost in their own thoughts, for a few minutes before Narcissa entered the room. Lucius followed close behind his wife with a scowl on his face. Hermione had to work hard to keep the smile off her face at Lucius' expression, it was clear that his wife had chastised him for his behaviour.

Narcissa sat down at the end of the table next to Hermione while Lucius sat at the head of the table, next to Draco. Hermione was extremely relieved that Draco had put himself in-between her and Lucius.

Once everyone was seated two house elves appeared and placed bowls of soup in front of everyone. Hermione was surprised to notice the elves were wearing clothes and that Narcissa actually thanked them for their service. Draco was relieved that Hermione didn't say anything about the elves, he had totally forgot to discuss them with her before they arrived at the Manor. Luckily Hermione realised that starting a debate about house elves wasn't really appropriate for her first visit to the Manor.

Everyone ate their soup in silence and it wasn't until the main course was served that Narcissa decided it was time to break the ice with her new daughter-in-law.

"Hermione, what do your parents think of you marrying so young?" Narcissa asked the brunette witch.

"My parents are dead." Hermione said sadly.

"Oh, I'm sorry dear. I had no idea." Narcissa said, horrified she had upset Hermione.

"It's alright, you weren't to know." Hermione said, smiling kindly at Narcissa.

"And what does Potter and the Weasley's think of your marriage?" Lucius asked. Hermione could tell he was dying to add some insult but the piercing look he was getting from his wife was keeping him civil.

"I haven't told them yet. We're meeting Harry and Ron tomorrow afternoon." Hermione said.

"What are you planning doing now you've left school?" Narcissa asked, changing the subject.

"Actually Hermione and I are setting up our own potions company." Draco said, keeping one eye on his father for his reaction.

Draco noticed that Lucius visibly clenched his jaw but he refrained from saying anything. Narcissa however began asking numerous questions about the business before she started on their personal lives. Draco was pleased to see both Hermione and Narcissa making the effort with each other.

While Hermione was telling Narcissa about the house they had just bought Draco turned to his father. "Do you not have an opinion on the business?" He asked.

"Why? It seems to me that you've made your mind up." Lucius said.

"Well I was hoping to work with you but I figured it's not really an option just yet. Not until you can accept Hermione." Draco admitted. He wanted his father to know that he hadn't made this decision lightly. "Maybe one day DHM Potions can become part of Malfoy Holdings."

Lucius was pleased that Draco saw himself one day working for the family business but he still wasn't sure he could accept his son's choice of wife. "How did you come up with the name?" He asked eventually.

"It's just mine and Hermione's initials." Draco shrugged. "There's no big reason behind the name."

The rest of dinner passed quite pleasantly even though Lucius only participated in the conversation occasionally. Both Hermione and Draco were aware that it was Narcissa's death stares that was keeping her husband in line and stopping him from insulting Hermione again.

Once dinner was finished Lucius left the room claiming he had urgent business to attend to. Hermione, Draco and Narcissa headed back into the front room so that Hermione and Draco could floo back to their hotel.

"Your father will come round." Narcissa reassured Draco. "It'll just take some time for him to get used to things."

"I hope he does." Draco sighed.

"He will, trust me." Narcissa said with a smile.

Draco smiled, knowing that Narcissa would keep bugging Lucius until he gave in and accepted that Hermione was part of their family. Before they headed back to their hotel, Draco and Hermione said there final goodbyes to Narcissa and Draco arranged to visit the Manor the following day to pick up the rest of his belongings.

Once Draco and Hermione had left Narcissa decided to go and find Lucius. The night hadn't gone as she had expected, mainly thanks to Draco's shock revelation, but Narcissa was determined to keep her family together. Narcissa had actually liked Hermione, she was a smart and beautiful witch but her best quality was her ability to make Draco happy. Narcissa was determined that she wouldn't lose Draco so she would just have to make sure that Lucius stopped being so stubborn and accepted Hermione as Draco's wife.

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Hermione stretched languidly in the bed and manoeuvred herself so she was settled beside Draco with her head resting on his shoulder. Since they returned from the Manor over two hours ago Draco and Hermione hadn't discussed the dinner, instead they had ended up in bed.

"Tonight went better than I thought it would." Draco said, his hand running through Hermione's hair.

"I didn't expect Narcissa to be so supportive." Hermione admitted, the blonde witch's actions had quite surprised Hermione.

"Neither did I." Draco said with a chuckle as he remembered how she had made Lucius behave himself. "I've only ever seen her stand up to father like that a couple of times before."

"Do you think with your mother on side that Lucius will come round?" Hermione asked.

"Hopefully. I'm not sure if he'll be able to stand disappointing mother for too long." Draco said. "It might take a while and I honestly don't think he'll ever be completely happy about us but I now think he'll come around."

"Good." Hermione said. She knew how much it would devastate Draco if Lucius did decide he couldn't accept their marriage and he ended up walking away from Draco.

"I might get a better idea of how he's adjusting tomorrow morning." Draco said. He had already planned on speaking with Lucius in private when he stopped by the Manor to pick up his things.

"Will you be long tomorrow?" Hermione asked.

"No, an hour or two at the most." Draco said. "Don't worry, I'll not be late for the meeting with Potter and Weasley."

Hermione sat up and smiled sweetly at Draco. "I know you won't, or you'll be in major trouble."

"Really, how much trouble?" Draco smirked.

"Enough to not let you near me for a while." Hermione said, pushing Draco back onto the bed and climbing on top of him.

"I better not get into trouble then." Draco said, pulling Hermione closer to him so he could kiss her.

Hermione moaned softly into the kiss as Draco's hands began running over her bare skin. Draco smirked at Hermione's reaction before he suddenly flipped them over so he was lying on top of his beautiful wife.

"Thank you for being there with me today." He said.

"It's what wives do." Hermione said, smiling up at Draco. "Besides you're going to be there for me tomorrow."

"I'll always be there for you." Draco said, before he brought his lips down on Hermione's and kissed her gently.

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**P.S - Lucius will be back in the story later but there will be no firm decision about accepting Hermione from him in the next couple of chapters, any decision from him will come when he next returns.**


	22. Friends

Hermione was sitting on the bed doing research for their business when Draco returned from getting his belongings from Malfoy Manor.

"Hi, was everything okay?" Hermione asked as Draco entered the room. "Where is everything?" She added when she noticed that Draco was empty handed.

"I dropped my stuff off at the house." Draco explained. "And everything was fine at the Manor."

"Did you see your father?" Hermione asked.

"Briefly. He's still not happy but he didn't disown me or anything." Draco said, sitting down in a chair.

"That's good." Hermione said, turning back to her reading.

Draco watched Hermione for a few minutes before he pulled out the letters his mother had given him. Draco had been totally shocked when Narcissa had said that he had received several owls while he was away. Draco had been puzzled as to who they could be off as he had nobody to write to him but a quick glance at the envelopes had revealed they were from Blaise Zabini.

"You look happy." Hermione commented as she noticed the smile on Draco's face as he read some letters.

Draco finished the last letter and put it down. "They're from Blaise, he's come home and he wants to meet up."

"Blaise Zabini?" Hermione questioned, making sure she was talking about the right person. She only had a vague recollection of him at school but she didn't think him and Draco were particularly friendly.

"Yes." Draco nodded.

"I didn't know you two were friends." Hermione said.

"We weren't really until sixth year. He wasn't like Crabbe and Goyle who would just do as I said and he didn't look up to me because of my family like some of the other Slytherins so I wasn't really interested in befriending him." Draco explained, remembering how horrible he had been when he was younger. "But he was a Slytherin in our year and we had friends in common so we knew each other."

"How did you become friends then?" Hermione asked. It was rare that Draco spoke of his past so Hermione was interested in what he had to say.

"He was one of the only Slytherins without strong family links with Voldemort. While everyone else was either impressed or jealous about my mission in sixth year, he wasn't. He was the only person who saw how hard it was for me and how much I didn't want to be a part of it." Draco said. "He offered me his support and friendship. We talked a lot that year and became good friends."

"What happened?" Hermione asked. She wondered why Blaise hadn't been in touch sooner if him and Draco were such good friends.

"After what happened at the end of sixth year Blaise's mother got worried about their safety. Blaise wrote to me a few days after sixth year ended and said his mother was thinking of going to Italy to escape the war. I wrote back and told him to go and avoid getting dragged into everything, a few days after they left."

"Have you heard from him since?" Hermione asked.

"No. But judging from Blaise's letter's he just lost track of time and didn't realise how long he's been away." Draco said.

"What will Blaise think of us?" Hermione asked, wondering if Draco would now have one supportive friend.

"He'll be surprised, but he won't judge. Blaise was never really bothered by blood status." Draco said.

"Are you going to meet up with him?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, I'll write to him when we get back." Draco said. "Speaking of which we need to get ready."

Hermione checked the time before she jumped off the bed and began getting ready for the meeting with her friends. They were meeting Harry, Ron and Ginny at a new café in Diagon Alley and Hermione wanted to get there early to help with her nerves.

Fifteen minutes later Hermione was ready and her and Draco left the hotel room to apparate to Diagon Alley.

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It was the first time Hermione had ever been to Café Milano and she was quite surprised by it. The café served a mixture of muggle and wizarding beverages and food and it seemed to be quite popular.

Hermione and Draco had already received several confused looks at their presence and Hermione was left in little doubt that there appearance would be reported in the papers before long.

Hermione tapped her fingers on the table as she checked her watch again. Her friends were due at any minute and she still wasn't sure the best way to tell them about Draco. Draco was currently in the queue waiting to be served and Hermione wasn't sure if it was best he wasn't with her when her friends arrived or if he was.

The bell over the door attracted Hermione's attention and she turned to find her three friends entering the café.

"Hermione, you're back." Ginny cried running over to Hermione and embracing the brunette witch who had just stood up.

"Hi, Gin. It's good to see you." Hermione said.

"You too, you look amazing." Ginny said, examining Hermione. Hermione was clearly tanned, was wearing a light green dress that really suited her and there was a happy glow about her.

"Thanks." Hermione said before she turned to Harry. "Hi, Harry. I've missed you."

"I've missed you too, Hermione." Harry said, hugging his friend.

After hugging Harry, Hermione turned to face Ron. She hadn't seen him since the day she left for Hogwarts and was unsure of how their friendship stood despite the letters they had traded a few months ago.

"Hi, 'Mione." Ron said, pulling Hermione into a hug.

Hermione grimaced at the nickname that she had repeatedly told Ron not to use. After hugging Ron briefly she wriggled out of his grasp which wasn't easy to do as he had his arms wrapped tightly around her.

"Hello, Ron. How have you been?" Hermione asked, finally removing herself from Ron's hold.

"Fine, but before we catch up there's something I need to say." Ron said. "I'm really sorry for what happened last summer and for how things ended between us. I was an idiot who didn't realise what I had until I lost it."

"Ron, don't." Ginny said sternly as she shared a panicked look with Harry. Over the summer the pair had tried to convince Ron he shouldn't propose to Hermione and within the last few weeks they believed they had succeeded in convincing him to move on from Hermione.

"I have to, Gin." Ron told his sister before turning back to Hermione. Before Hermione could react Ron had whipped out a box and had gotten down on one knee in front of her.

"Ron, please don't." Hermione said, horrified at what was happening.

"Hermione, I love you." Ron said, ignoring Hermione's plea to stop. "Will you marry me?"

"I can't look." Ginny muttered, burying her head in Harry's shoulder while her boyfriend had covered his eyes with his hand.

"I'm sorry Ron, but no. I can't." Hermione said. She was devastated that she was breaking Ron's heart but she never thought for one minute that he still had feelings for her, let alone he was planning on proposing.

"Why?" Ron asked, getting up off the floor. He was now wishing he had proposed in private as the whole café was now watching them.

"Because she's already married." Draco said from behind Ron. He had been watching the reunion from the counter and had been headed back towards the table when Ron had proposed to his wife.

Harry, Ron and Ginny spun round to face Draco. Harry and Ginny shared a knowing look while Ron just looked at the blond in disbelief.

"What do you mean she's already married?" Ron asked before he spun back to face Hermione. "What's going on? Why is he here?"

Draco moved to Hermione's side and wrapped his arm around her waist for moral support as she faced her furious ex. Taking a deep breath Hermione looked Ron in the eye before she spoke again.

"Draco's here because he's my husband. We got married straight after school." Hermione said.

"Congratulations." Ginny squealed. "Can I see the ring?"

Hermione held out her left hand for Ginny to see as she continued to look at Ron. He was going red in the face and Hermione knew he was going to explode soon. Harry also knew his friend was about to erupt so he put a calming hand on Ron's arm which the redhead promptly shook off.

"You married him, after everything he's done to us." Ron said, glaring at Draco. "This has to be a joke, please tell me you're joking Hermione."

"She's not." Draco said. "We got married in Paris."

"No, this isn't right." Ron said as Ginny started muttering about how romantic it must be to get married in Paris.

"Why don't we all sit down and talk about this like adults." Harry suggested. He was surprised by Hermione's news but he wanted to deal with Ron before he really digested what his best friend had done.

"What's there to talk about Harry. He's obviously done something to Hermione, there's no way she'd willingly marry Malfoy." Ron said, looking at Draco who still had his arm around Hermione. "Maybe he's slipped her a love potion or she's under the imperius curse. We need to get back to the Ministry and get Hermione tested."

"Don't be so ridiculous Ron." Ginny said.

"I'm not being ridiculous." Ron said before he turned back to Hermione. "Don't worry 'Mione, we'll save you."

"Save me from what Ronald?" Hermione snapped getting angry with Ron's ridiculous reaction. "Save me from my husband who I love deeply and who loves me in return."

"He doesn't love you, he's a cold hearted Slytherin." Ron shouted, wondering how Hermione had been tricked by the blond man beside her. "And let's not forget that he was a Death Eater. Not just any Death Eater but the one who helped to kill Dumbledore."

"I've paid for what I did." Draco said darkly. He was trying hard not to hex Ron as he had promised Hermione that he would let her handle her friends and he knew she wouldn't be happy if he cursed one of them.

"Ron, Draco's changed. We've settled our differences and have moved on." Hermione said, hoping she could calm Ron down. "I love him."

"You love him?" Ron asked quietly. He was still convinced that Draco was tricking Hermione but she seemed so sure when she professed her love for the boy they had hated for years.

"Of course I do." Hermione said. "I wouldn't have married him if I didn't. Which I did of my own free will by the way."

Ron looked at Hermione wondering what he could say to convince her that she had made a huge mistake.

"There's nothing you can say that will make me change my mind about Draco." Hermione said, knowing exactly what Ron was thinking. "We love each other and I hope that you can learn to accept it."

"No, I can't do this. I have to go." Ron said, turning and heading towards the door. The fact that he had just lost the love of his life was just dawning on him and he needed time to think.

"Ron wait." Hermione called, moving out of Draco's embrace and following after her ex. Ron stopped by the door as Hermione approached him. "I'm sorry. I had no idea what you were going to do."

"It's not your fault, Hermione." Ron sighed. "I should have listened to Harry and Ginny, they said it was a bad idea."

"Ron, I meant what I said in my letter a few months ago. I want us to be friends again, like we were before." Hermione said.

"It can't happen right now." Ron said, shaking his head sadly. "I need some time and space to deal with things."

"I understand." Hermione said, backing away from Ron.

Ron gave Hermione a sad smile before he caught sight of Draco watching them closely from beside the table Harry and Ginny were now sitting at. Ron's smile turned into a scowl as he glared at the blond who merely ignored him and continued to watch his wife.

"You're making a mistake Hermione." Ron pleaded, trying one final time to get Hermione to listen to him. "He's using you, he doesn't love you."

"Yes, he does. You need to accept that Draco is my husband now." Hermione glared at Ron before she turned and walked back towards Draco.

Ron watched as she reached for the blond's hand as soon as she was near enough to him. When Draco placed a kiss on Hermione's forehead and wrapped his arm around her shoulders Ron turned and left, not wanting to witness anymore of their cosy interaction. Ron vowed to prove to Hermione that her new husband was using her but right now he had to leave before he broke down at the sight of Hermione in Draco's arms.

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After Ron had made his dramatic exit Hermione and Draco sat down at the table and Hermione turned to face Harry. So far he was the only person not to have offered his opinion and Hermione desperately wanted one of her best friends to be happy for her.

"Do we get your opinion now, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, I think as long as you're happy, I'm happy for you." Harry said after a moment's pause.

Harry had had some time to think about the news and to observe Hermione and Draco together and it was obvious they were happy together. Harry had noticed the protective way in which Draco had stood by Hermione as Ron had gotten angry. He was also pretty impressed that the blond hadn't immediately lost his temper and hexed Ron when he started throwing his unfounded allegations around.

"Thank you Harry." Hermione smiled at her friend. "It means a lot that you're supporting me."

"You're my best friend Hermione, of course I'm going to support you." Harry said. "Although I would quite like to know how this happened."

"We got together a month after returning to school." Hermione said, explaining about their relationship.

"I knew it, I knew you two were more than friends." Ginny crowed triumphantly.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Hermione asked, surprised that Ginny had picked up on her relationship with Draco.

"I wasn't a hundred per cent sure so I decided it wait until you told me." Ginny said with a shrug.

"Why didn't you tell anyone about getting married?" Harry asked. "I can understand keeping quiet at the beginning when you weren't sure about things but why did you when your relationship got serious."

"We didn't want to run the risk of anyone stopping us." Draco said as he explained about Lucius.

Harry nodded in understanding, it would make sense that Lucius would want to stop Draco's relationship with a muggleborn. The two couples spoke briefly about Draco's parents before Ginny abruptly turned to Harry.

"Harry would you go and get me a drink and a cake please?" Ginny asked Harry before she turned to Hermione. "Now I want details. How did he propose? What was the wedding like? What was the honeymoon like? Is he a good kisser?"

"Malfoy, will you come and help me please?" Harry asked as Ginny bombarded Hermione with questions.

"Sure." Draco said, sensing Harry wanted to speak to him alone.

Harry and Draco walked over to the display of cakes where Harry tried to pick one for Ginny.

"You know Hermione is like a sister to me." Harry said as he scanned the row of cakes. "And as such I care very much about her welfare."

"I thought you were being supportive, Potter." Draco said.

"I am. You obviously make Hermione happy and a blind man can see how in love the two of you are." Harry said turning to look at Draco with a fierce look on his face "But I want you to know that if you ever hurt her in any way, I'll make you regret it."

Draco had never been intimidated by Harry and while he still wasn't really intimidated he knew that the former Gryffindor was serious with his threat and would carry it out perfectly.

"I understand." Draco said with a nod. "I'm not going to hurt Hermione, but it's good to know you care about her that much."

"I do." Harry said, picking up a mini Victoria sponge and placing it on his tray. "Although I have a feeling I'll not have to follow through with my threat."

"You won't." Draco said, glancing back at where Hermione was sitting laughing with Ginny.

Harry looked at Draco and the way he was looking at Hermione, his feelings for the brunette witch evident on his face. Harry knew he really didn't have to worry about Draco hurting his best friend but he wanted to make sure the blond knew that there was someone who had Hermione's back, just in case.

After Harry had gotten Ginny a strawberry milkshake to go with her cake and a coffee for himself the two men returned to their partners. For the rest of the afternoon the four of them talked and laughed as they caught up on each other's lives and discussed their future plans.


	23. A Couple of Slytherins

"What are you doing?" Draco asked as he walked into the kitchen.

"Making a list of everything we still need for the house." Hermione replied without looking up from where she was sitting at the kitchen table with a notepad in front of her.

Draco and Hermione had only just finished moving into their house that morning and were currently still getting the place how they wanted it.

"I thought we bought everything before we moved in." Draco said, thinking of the multiple shopping trips they had made over the past week.

"We bought the big stuff but we totally forgot about all the small things." Hermione said, glancing up from her notes.

"Like what?" Draco asked.

"Like cutlery, plates, glasses. Stuff like that." Hermione remarked. "If Molly hadn't mentioned them yesterday I would have totally forgotten about the small things we need."

Hermione had visited the Burrow the previous day to collect her belongings and to catch up with the woman who had been like a second mother to her. Hermione had waited until Harry and Ginny had informed Molly of her marriage before she got in touch with her. When Hermione had written to Molly a few days after seeing her friends, the older woman had insisted that Hermione pay her a visit.

Hermione had been wary of Molly's reaction to her relationship with Draco but once the older woman had made sure that Hermione was happy she had accepted her marriage. Molly had also made Hermione promise to bring Draco to The Burrow for Sunday lunch so that the family could get to know him.

"I'm off to Diagon Alley before I'm meeting Blaise. You could come with me." Draco said. For the last week Draco and Blaise had been exchanging owls and they had finally found an afternoon where both men were free to meet up for a drink.

"Why are you going to Diagon Alley?" Hermione asked.

"I'm going to visit the apothecary. I spoke to the owner yesterday to see if he would be interested in doing business with us." Draco explained, sitting down opposite Hermione.

"Supplying ingredients?" Hermione asked. She hadn't been doing much with the business for the last few days as she had been too busy organising the move.

"Yes, I'm pretty confident he'll do us a good deal regarding price." Draco said.

"Good. What about the contacts Kingsley gave us?"

"I've arranged a few meetings for next week." Draco said. "But Kingsley and McGonagall have both agreed to sign contracts with us."

Hermione smiled, pleased that Kingsley and McGonagall were being so supportive. Over the last week both of them had been a huge support and help to Hermione and Draco as they made final decisions about their business.

Hermione and Draco had eventually decided to make the business two-fold. Half of their potions labs would be dedicated to discovering new potions while the other half would make existing potions to sell to other businesses. Both McGonagall and Kingsley had agreed to sign contacts so Draco and Hermione' business could supply Hogwarts and The Ministry with any potions they needed.

"So are you going to come with me?" Draco asked.

"Yes." Hermione nodded. "If I get some things for the kitchen I might even cook tonight."

"You can cook." Draco said, sounding shocked.

"Yes. We didn't all grow up with house elves to wait on us." Hermione retorted.

"Just because I grew up with house elves doesn't mean I'm totally incapable in the kitchen." Draco said.

"You're not trying to get me to believe you can cook are you?" Hermione said with a laugh.

Draco looked offended for a minute or two before he smiled and shrugged his shoulder. "Well it was worth a try. Actually all I can cook is pancakes, it was the only things the elves would let me help with."

"You really used to visit the kitchen in the Manor?" Hermione asked shocked. She had assumed that Draco was joking about being in the kitchen.

"Yes, it was one of my favourite places to be when I was younger. I would often visit the kitchens and watch the elves cook. Even though they only ever let me make pancakes, they still let me steal bits of food." Draco said, smiling as he recalled the memories of his childhood.

As Hermione and Draco got ready to head to Diagon Alley, Draco told a few stories about his visits to the kitchen. Hermione was really enjoying hearing about Draco's childhood as her husband rarely spoke about what his life was like as he grew up.

After apparating to Diagon Alley Hermione and Draco went their separate ways for a while. Draco headed to the apothecary while Hermione went shopping for kitchen equipment. Hermione quickly bought everything she needed and after sending it back home she wandered around the shops before she was due to meet up with Draco again.

As Hermione wandered the shops she felt people staring at her and heard some gossiping behind her back. The day after her meeting with her friends, her and Draco's return and marriage was front page news. Over the last week numerous articles had been written regarding their relationship and Hermione was unfortunately getting used to people gossiping about her wherever she went. One of the first articles had picked up on the ridiculous accusations Ron had made at the café. While some articles were full of scorn and innuendo there were plenty of positive articles regarding their relationship and the fact they had put their difficult past behind them.

Hermione spotted Draco leaving the apothecary and she was heading towards him when a woman barged out of Madam Malkins and walked straight into Hermione. Hermione kept her balance but the woman who walked into her wobbled so Hermione reached out a hand to steady her.

"Are you alright?" Hermione asked.

The woman who had black hair cut in a sharp bob turned to look at Hermione, a sneer appearing on her face as she recognised the brunette witch she had bumped into.

"Get off me." The woman replied, pulling her arm out of Hermione's grip. "You should watch where you're going, mudblood."

"And you should watch how you speak to my wife, Parkinson." Draco said coldly, arriving at his wife's side.

At Draco's words Hermione took a second look at the snobby woman, eventually recognising her as Pansy Parkinson. Pansy had grown up since the last time Hermione had seen her but she still had the same pug face and bad attitude.

"So it is true." Pansy remarked, looking at Hermione's left hand. "Your father must be so proud of you, Draco, marrying a mudblood and ruining what little respect your family had left."

"If you dare call Hermione that one more time, I'll make you regret it." Draco said, his grey eyes flashing with anger.

"Whatever." Pansy sneered. "It's no wonder nobody wants to know you anymore, consorting with such trash."

Draco snorted at Pansy's words. "As if I'd want anything to do with you and your friends."

"They used to be your friends too. Until you messed it all up by changing." Pansy said.

"No, they were just people I had the misfortune to be sharing a living space with." Draco said. "And thank god I did change or I wouldn't be standing here happily married."

"As if that's going to last." Pansy said with a laugh.

"It will." Hermione said. "But thanks for the support." She added sarcastically.

Pansy glared at Hermione who merely stood watching the raven haired witch looking totally unbothered by her maliciousness. Pansy opened her mouth as if to speak again but the way Hermione was calmly watching her put her off. Eventually Pansy shut her mouth and turned on her heel to leave.

"Well that was pleasant." Draco muttered as Pansy stalked away from them, turning round to glare a few times as she went.

"Yes, such fun." Hermione said, rolling her eyes. "I'm going home, see you later."

"Bye, honey." Draco said, giving Hermione a quick kiss.

After Hermione had apparated home Draco made his way to the new bar in Diagon Alley where he was meeting Blaise. In the last year Diagon Alley had been magically expanded and a lot more shops and buildings had been added.

When Draco entered the bar he quickly spotted Blaise sitting at the bar, flirting with the pretty blonde who was serving behind the bar. Draco walked up behind Blaise and tapped his old friend on the shoulder.

"Draco, it's good to see you." Blaise said turning round.

"It's good to see you too, Blaise." Draco greeted his friend. "Shall we sit down."

Blaise and Draco ordered some drinks before they headed to a booth in the corner and sat down.

"Congratulations on your wedding." Blaise said. "Although I am slightly hurt I wasn't invited."

"Relax Blaise, no-one was. We eloped." Draco said.

"So some of the stories in the Prophet were true." Blaise said. He had been keeping an open mind regarding Draco's shock marriage until he had spoken with his friend.

"They managed to hit lucky on a few facts, occasionally." Draco said. "Most of what was printed was rubbish."

"Isn't it always." Blaise shrugged. "So tell me how you managed to end up married to Hermione Granger of all people. I thought you two hated each other."

"That was a long time ago." Draco said as he began to tell Blaise about his relationship with Hermione.

"So how's your father taking the news?" Blaise asked. He had never met Lucius personally but from what he knew of the man he wouldn't be happy to find himself with a muggleborn daughter-in-law.

"Not good. At the minute he's behaving himself for mother and he's promised to try and accept my marriage." Draco answered.

"You don't sound too hopeful about that." Blaise said, hearing the disappointment that was evident in Draco's voice.

"I'm not." Draco admitted. "It's been a week since we had dinner at the Manor and I've not heard from him. If he ever does accept us I have a feeling it won't be for a long time."

"I'm sorry, Draco. I've been a terrible friend, I should have been here for you." Blaise said.

"It's not your fault Blaise. I should have wrote to you after the war, but first I had to deal with the trials and then once I returned to school I was too caught up with Hermione to even think about contacting you." Draco said.

"Looks like we'll have to make up for lost time." Blaise said with a grin.

"It does. Why don't you start with telling me about Italy and what kept you away for so long."

"In one word, girls." Blaise grinned before he spent the next half hour regaling Draco with stories of his two years in Italy.

"So what are you going to do now you're back home?" Draco asked once Blaise had finished talking.

"I have no idea. I've bought a swanky flat in London but I need something to do with my time." Blaise said.

"You could always come work with me." Draco offered. Draco remembered how good Blaise was at potions and he quite liked the idea of working with his friend.

"Doing what?" Blaise asked.

"Hermione and I are starting our own potions business." Draco explained a bit about the new business and the ideas they had regarding its future.

"That sounds great, but shouldn't you check with your wife before offering me a job."

"Probably." Draco shrugged. "Do you fancy coming home with me and meeting Hermione properly?"

"Sure, will she not mind?" Blaise asked.

"No, she'll be thrilled to meet you." Draco said, finishing his drink and standing up.

Once Blaise had also finished his drink Draco apparated the pair of them back to his and Hermione's house.

"Sorry it's a bit messy, we've just moved in this morning." Draco explained as they landed in the front hallway.

"I bet it's still neater than my flat and I've been there a couple of months." Blaise said, following Draco as he walked into the front room.

Hermione was sitting on the sofa making notes in a note book when Draco and Blaise entered the room.

"Hi, honey." Draco said, walking over to Hermione and giving her a quick kiss. "I hope you don't mind but I brought Blaise back with me."

"Of course I don't mind." Hermione said, standing up.

"Good. Hermione this is Blaise, Blaise this is Hermione." Draco said, introducing his wife and friend to each other properly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Hermione." Blaise said with a smile.

"You too, Blaise." Hermione said. "Are you staying for dinner?"

Blaise looked unsure and looked to Draco for an answer, when Draco nodded he turned back to face Hermione. "I'd love to, thank you."

"I'll go and get dinner started." Hermione said, leaving the room and heading for the kitchen.

"She cooks as well. You're a lucky man, Draco." Blaise said.

"I know." Draco said smiling. "Do you want a drink?" He asked Blaise as his friend sat down.

"Yes, thanks." Blaise replied.

Draco left the room and returned with two glasses of firewhisky. Handing one to Blaise he sat on the sofa and the two men began talking and laughing together as Hermione made dinner. Ten minutes later Hermione re-entered the room and sat down next to Draco.

"Dinner will be another half hour but I can't promise it'll be great." Hermione said.

"I thought you said you could cook." Draco said to his wife.

"I may have exaggerated my skills in the kitchen slightly." Hermione said sheepishly. "I'm not a bad cook but I'm not great either."

"I'm sure dinner will be lovely, Hermione." Blaise said.

"Suck up." Draco said with a laugh.

"Thank you, Blaise." Hermione said, glaring at her husband beside her.

"I'm sure your cooking will be great." Draco said, wrapping his arm around Hermione's waist.

Blaise smiled as he watched Draco and Hermione together, in all the years he had known Draco he had never seen the blond so relaxed and happy as he was with his wife. Blaise watched as Draco pacified Hermione and waited until the witch was smiling before he brought up the topic of Blaise potentially working for them.

"Would you really be interested in coming to work for us?" Hermione asked Blaise. She wanted to be sure that Blaise wanted to work for them and it wasn't just Draco being eager to have his friend nearby.

"Yes." Blaise nodded enthusiastically. "I always liked potions in school so it's defiantly something I'd be interested in."

For the rest of the night the main topic of conversation was Blaise getting a job at Draco and Hermione's company. Despite Blaise insisting he would be happy doing anything, Draco insisted that he should have a senior position with the company. While no definite job description had been sorted by the time Blaise left, it was decided that he would be the most senior member of staff after Draco and Hermione.

It was nearly midnight before Blaise flooed back to his flat in London. Draco watched his friend disappear into the green flames, totally satisfied with the night. Blaise and Hermione had hit it off great and both had said they were looking forward to working with each other.

"Thank you for inviting Blaise to stay for dinner tonight." Draco said, once Blaise had disappeared from the fire. "I'm pleased you two get along."

"I really liked him." Hermione said with a smile. The former Slytherin had been quite charming and Hermione had immediately warmed to him.

"I'm pleased." Draco said.

"Good. Come on we should get to bed, we have to attend lunch at The Burrow tomorrow." Hermione said, grabbing Draco's hand and leading him upstairs.

Draco pulled a face at the thought but didn't complain. While it wasn't something he was looking forward to Draco would have lunch with The Weasley's without complaint. Hermione had just invited his only friend to dinner and gave him a job plus she had visited the Manor and put up with his parents so the least he could do for his wife was have lunch with her surrogate family.


	24. Meeting The Weasley's

When Hermione woke up on Sunday morning she was surprised to find she was alone in bed. Draco wasn't a morning person so it was a surprise for Hermione to find her husband was already up.

Hermione got out of bed and pulled on a robe over her skimpy nightwear before she headed out of the room in search of Draco. After a few minutes searching Hermione found Draco sitting in the front room reading the paper.

Hermione watched Draco shake his head and mutter about idiots as he read the paper. Hermione entered the room and sat down next to her husband, glancing at the article he was reading. It was yet another article regarding their relationship, this time the story was debating whether they truly loved each other or if Draco was using Hermione to repair his family's reputation after the war.

"You're up early." Hermione said as she sat down.

"I couldn't sleep." Draco shrugged.

"You should have woken me." She said, taking the paper out of Draco's hands and throwing it onto the coffee table.

"I was reading that." Draco protested.

"Why? It was just more rubbish." Hermione said.

"Rubbish that I'm sure some people might believe." Draco said with a sigh. It was annoying for him to constantly read that he didn't really love Hermione and that their relationship wasn't the real thing.

"No-one that matters." Hermione said. "Anyone who believes everything they read in the paper aren't worth bothering with."

"What if some of the Weasley's believe it? They already hate me so they might find some of these stories easy to believe."

"They don't hate you." Hermione said.

"I'm sure they do. Not that I blame them." Draco muttered.

"Is that what's bothering you? The fact the Weasley's might dislike you this afternoon."

"Maybe." Draco shrugged. "It's no secret that there's history between our families, I hardly expect them to welcome me with open arms."

"Since when do you care what people think of you?" Hermione asked. "For as long as I've known you, it's never bothered you if people disliked you."

"Normally I don't care, but they're your family and it would be better if we could get along." Draco said.

Hermione smiled, touched that Draco was so worried about having the Weasley's accept him. "The Weasley's are good people, they'll give you a chance I promise."

"I hope so." Draco said.

"They will. Anyway Harry and Ginny already approve of you and Molly has been really supportive." Hermione pointed out. She knew that with Molly supporting them it would be easier to get the rest of the family onside.

"What about Weasel, he was hardly supportive." Draco said, remembering the terrible accusations Ron had thrown at him when he had discovered their relationship.

"Ron was just hurt, he'll calm down." Hermione said, hoping she was right. "Besides I don't think he'll be there today."

"Why not? I thought you said it was a family lunch."

"It is. But according to Harry, Ron hasn't reacted well to our news. He's already been given a few weeks off work as he's too distracted and it's dangerous if he's not focused." Hermione said.

"That still doesn't explain why he won't be at lunch. Doesn't he live there?" Draco asked.

"Actually Ron and Harry share a flat in London but they do both spend lots of time at The Burrow." Hermione explained. Harry had told her about the flat a few days ago when they had met up just the two of them. "Molly said that Ron told her he wasn't ready to see us yet."

"Is it bad that I'm pleased he won't be there?" Draco asked. He was relieved that he didn't have to put up with Ron as he wanted the family to like him and he knew there was a strong possibility that he would have gotten into an argument with the youngest Weasley brother if he was present at lunch.

"No. I'm actually glad Ron won't be there as well. Lunch will be much easier without Ron around to cause trouble." Hermione said. She was sad that she felt that way about Ron but she knew until he learnt to accept her and Draco he would be difficult to be around.

Hermione watched as Draco visibly relaxed once he had discovered that Ron wouldn't be present at lunch. Obviously her husband had been worried the most by Ron's presence and the trouble he would likely have caused.

"So what sort of lunch is it going to be?" Draco asked. He knew The Weasley's were a lot more easy-going than his family but he didn't want to just assume that the meal would be a casual affair.

"Sunday's at The Burrow are pretty informal." Hermione said, smiling as she remembered the many Sunday afternoons she had spent with the redheaded family. "Because it's still warm and there'll be so many of us we'll probably eat outside. And then I'm sure they'll be some sort of Quidditch game going on, there usually is."

"What time are we expected?" Draco asked.

"About twelve."

"Good." Draco said, checking the time and finding it was still before nine. "Then we have plenty of time to go back to bed for a few hours."

"I thought you said you couldn't sleep." Hermione said.

"I wasn't planning on sleeping." Draco said with a grin.

"Have I ever mentioned that you've got a one track mind?" Hermione said as Draco stood up and pulled her with him.

"No, but that's why you love me." Draco said, pulling Hermione into his arms and apparating the pair of them back to their bedroom.

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"Are we all clear?" Molly Weasley asked her assembled family. "Everyone is to behave themselves, I want no fighting or arguing."

Molly had gathered her family to give them one last talking to before Hermione arrived for lunch with her new husband. Molly had impressed upon her family the need to give Draco a chance as she had no intention of losing Hermione.

"I'm sure we can all manage that." Charlie said.

"That's easy for you to say, you didn't go to school with the git." George said.

"George, stop that now." Molly scolded her son.

"As much as I hate to admit it, George, he's not that bad now." Harry said. While Harry hadn't seen Draco since the day in the café he had actually enjoyed the blond's company that day.

"It's true." Ginny nodded, agreeing with her boyfriend. "He's actually quite fun to spend time with."

"And the most important thing is that he clearly loves Hermione." Harry added. "Although it was rather disturbing to witness them all over each other."

"Ignore Harry." Ginny said, hitting Harry on the arm. "It's so romantic watching them together, they're clearly crazy about each other."

"See." Molly said to George. "Now behave and make an effort. Hermione's family so you will not cause trouble with Draco."

"Who'd have thought that we'd have a ferret in the family one day." George said with a laugh.

Harry and Ginny both laughed along with the George but the three of them were silenced by Molly glaring at them.

"Now that's all sorted you can run along now." Molly said, shooing everyone from the front room. When everyone had left the room Molly turned to face her husband who had been sitting quietly in his chair. "Are you alright?" She asked.

"I suppose so." Arthur said. He loved Hermione like a second daughter and was concerned over her choice of husband.

"Draco isn't Lucius. Give the boy a chance to prove he's different from his father." Molly said, knowing exactly what was bothering Arthur.

"I will, but his past actions hardly prove he's any different do they?" Arthur said, referring to Draco's actions during the last couple of years prior to Voldemort's defeat.

"What he did, he did to protect his family." Molly said softly. "I know it doesn't make it right, but it makes it understandable."

"I suppose." Arthur said.

"Just give him a chance. He's obviously changed if he's married Hermione." Molly said, kissing her husband on the forehead and heading for the kitchen to continue preparing lunch.

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At exactly twelve o'clock Hermione stepped out of the floo at The Burrow, Draco appearing behind her a few seconds later. At the sound of their visitors arriving Molly and Arthur entered the front room from the kitchen.

"Hermione." Molly cried engulfing the brunette witch in a hug.

"Hi Molly, thanks for inviting us." Hermione said.

"You're always welcome here Hermione." Molly said before she released Hermione from her embrace and turned to Draco. "Hello Draco, welcome to the Burrow."

"Thank you for inviting me Mrs Weasley." Draco said politely.

As Molly tried to make Draco feel welcome Hermione turned to Arthur and embraced the wizard who was like a second father to her.

"You look great Hermione." Arthur said, unable to ignore that the brunette witch was glowing with happiness.

"Thanks." Hermione said as she stepped back from Arthur's embrace.

Hermione then introduced Draco to Arthur. As the two men shook hands Hermione could tell that Arthur was hesitant of Draco but he never made any derogatory comment about her choice of husband. Draco could also sense Arthur's hesitance towards him but was fully expecting it after everything that had happened between his family and the Weasley's.

"Everyone else is in the backyard, why don't you go on through." Molly said.

"Thanks Molly." Hermione said, grabbing hold of Draco's hand and leading him out through the kitchen and into the backyard.

As soon as they stepped into the large backyard at The Burrow Hermione spotted Ginny frantically waving from the bottom of the garden. Hermione waved back to her friend before she turned to an approaching Charlie and Percy.

"Hi Charlie. Percy." Hermione greeted.

Percy politely greeted Hermione while Charlie gave the brunette a quick hug and a peck on the cheek.

"So you're the secret husband." Charlie said, turning to Draco. Charlie had never met Draco so was prepared to give the blond a chance.

"Not so secret anymore." Draco said. "I'm Draco Malfoy." He said holding out his hand for Charlie to shake.

"It's nice to meet you Draco." Charlie said. "You know Percy don't you." He added, gesturing to his brother standing next to him.

"Vaguely." Draco said, shaking Percy's hand.

"We had a few run-ins while I was a prefect and head boy." Percy said pompously, remembering the many times the blond Slytherin and his friends had caused trouble.

"That was a long time ago Percy, let it go." Charlie said rolling his eyes at his uptight brother.

Percy mumbled something under his breath before he turned and walked away from the group.

"Ignore Percy, the rest of us do." Charlie said. "It's good to have you back Hermione." He added before he too wandered away.

"That wasn't too bad was it?" Hermione asked Draco once they were alone.

"It was fine, I think I could like Charlie." Draco said.

"Yeah, Charlie's great." Hermione said. "So is Bill who is heading this way with Fleur."

Hermione had no sooner finished speaking when Bill and Fleur arrived at the couple's side. Bill immediately gave Hermione a hug and Fleur embraced Hermione gently.

"Wow Fleur you look amazing for someone who's just had a baby." Hermione said. Fleur had had a baby girl three weeks before the end of school. "Speaking of which where is she?"

"She's asleep in the house." Fleur said. "I'll introduce you to her when she wakes."

"So Hermione are you planning on introducing your husband?" Bill asked, eyeing Draco who was starting to look uncomfortable.

"Sorry. Bill, Fleur this is Draco." Hermione said introducing her husband to Bill and Fleur.

"It's nice to meet you properly, Draco." Bill said, holding out his hand to the blond. While he had seen the former Slytherin during the war he had never actually met him.

"You too." Draco said uncertainly.

Until Draco had come face to face with Bill he had forgotten that it was a member of the Weasley family that was attacked by Greyback the night of Dumbledore's death. Draco remembered how angry he had been when Greyback had shown up at the school and how devastated he was after Severus Snape had told him that someone had been attacked by the werewolf.

"I'm sorry about everything I've done." Draco said quietly, wanting Bill to know he regretted what had happened.

"It's in the past, let's leave it there and make a fresh start." Bill said, surprising Draco with his willingness to forgive.

"I appreciate that, thank you." Draco said.

Hermione smiled at Bill, thankful that he didn't hold any grudges towards Draco. As Fleur turned to Draco, Hermione watched hoping the Frenchwoman would also be as forgiving.

"It's nice to see you again Draco." Fleur said, smiling at the blond.

"It's nice to see you too Fleur." Draco said with a smile.

Hermione and Bill both stared at their spouses. To both of them it sounded like a greeting between two old friends.

"Do you two know each other?" Bill asked. The only possible connection he could think of was when Fleur competed in The Triwizard Tournament four years ago.

"We met at The Triwizard Tournament." Fleur said.

"I never knew you two knew each." Hermione said, sensing there was more to the story. "You certainly never acted as though you did."

"I wouldn't say we knew each other exactly." Draco said. "We only spent a few minutes in each other's company."

"Doing what?" Bill asked, although by the guilty look on Fleur's face he had a pretty good idea.

"It was just one little kiss." Fleur said. "A very good kiss I might add, but it's not really important."

"We got stuck under some enchanted mistletoe at the Yule Ball." Draco explained.

Hermione looked slightly shocked by the revelation. Her and Draco had discussed past relationships but Draco had never once brought up the fact he had kissed the gorgeous part-veela.

"It was just a kiss Hermione, when I was fourteen." Draco said, noticing how quiet Hermione had become.

"I'm just surprised you didn't mention it." Hermione said.

"Why would I? It was one meaningless kiss. I'd even forgotten that you knew Fleur until today." Draco said.

"Well I think we've caused enough trouble here, we'll be going." Bill said, taking hold of Fleur's hand.

"Honestly Bill you don't have to be so dramatic. I think I can deal with one kiss with Fleur." Hermione said.

"What on earth have I been missing?" A voice from behind Hermione surprised the two couples. "Please say the kiss is coming up and I haven't missed it."

"George, that's not what's happening." Hermione said, turning round and hugging the redhead.

"So there's going to be no hot kiss between you two?" George asked disappointedly, looking between Hermione and Fleur.

"No." Both Hermione and Fleur shouted together.

"Well what's going on then?" George asked, wondering about the bizarre conversation he had interrupted.

Before anyone had a chance to explain Molly shouted lunch was ready so everyone made their way to the large table in the middle of the garden.


	25. Sunday Afternoon at The Burrow

George introduced himself properly to Draco while everyone was heading over to the large table. Draco was relieved that George seemed to be acting friendly enough towards him as he knew that George was the only other member of the family, apart from Ron and Ginny, that he had come into regular contact with during his school years when he had been less than pleasant. Draco distinctly remembered several encounters in fifth year between the Inquisitorial Squad and the Weasley twins and he had been worried that George would hold it against him.

When everyone sat down George deliberately sat opposite Hermione and Draco, eager for an explanation for what he had overheard a few minutes earlier. Unfortunately for George it looked like he would have to wait a while for his answer as when everyone first sat down Molly immediately started asking Hermione and Draco about their wedding and honeymoon.

Draco was pleased to find the conversation flowed easily and he was made to feel very welcome with the Weasley's. Percy was a bit standoffish but Draco quickly realised that it was just his nature. Arthur was more wary of Draco then everyone else but Draco put it down to the fact that the elder man had endured several nasty run-ins with Lucius in the past and was waiting to reserve judgement on Draco himself.

Draco was surprised to find he was actually enjoying how low key and informal the lunch was. Bowls of food were passed around the table and often people shouted out for something they wanted. Draco's family had always been very reserved and all meal times were conducted with a lot more formality than he was currently witnessing.

The constant noise and laughing actually reminded Draco of dinner in The Great Hall, the Gryffindor table had always been the most boisterous of the four house tables and Draco could see why with so many Weasley's sorted into that house. George especially was proving great fun to be around as he told outrageous stories about adventures he and Fred had experienced during school.

By the time dessert was served there were several different conversation taking place around the table. George capitalised on the fact that Hermione had just finished talking with Charlie and had turned back to Draco, who was busy discussing Quidditch with Ginny.

"So Hermione are you going to explain about kissing Fleur?" George asked, grabbing Harry's attention from his place next to him.

"What? Why is Hermione kissing Fleur?" Harry asked bewildered by the conversation.

"I'm not. George just got hold of the wrong end of the stick." Hermione explained to Harry and Ginny, who had broken off her conversation with Draco when she had heard her brother's question to Hermione.

"So what's the right end?" Ginny asked.

"Fleur and Draco were just explaining how they knew each other." Hermione said.

"What's kissing got to do with anything?" Ginny asked.

"That's how we met." Draco explained. "We ended up kissing at The Yule Ball after getting stuck under enchanted mistletoe."

"No way, I don't believe that." George said shaking his head.

"Neither do I. There's no way you would have kissed Fleur and not bragged about it." Harry said.

"I may have been a git back then but I still had enough class not to boast about girls I kissed." Draco said.

George and Harry both laughed, George was impressed that Draco had been honest enough to admit what he had been like when he was younger. George then started pressing Draco for details of his kiss with Fleur, without much luck as Draco refused to add any more to the story.

"Can we talk about something else." Hermione said, interrupting George as he asked yet another probing question.

"You're not getting jealous are you Hermione?" George teased. "After all it's pretty hard to compete with a part veela."

"I am not jealous." Hermione said, sounding less than convincing.

Draco leant closer to Hermione so he could speak directly into her ear. "There's no reason for you to be jealous of Fleur or anyone else. Just so you know there's no contest, you beat everybody." Draco whispered to Hermione.

"Really?" Hermione asked, turning her head to face Draco.

"Really." Draco said quietly before quickly brushing his lips over Hermione's.

Hermione smiled and gave Draco a proper kiss before she turned back to the table to discover the whole family had been watching them. Ginny, Molly and Fleur had smiles on their faces as they looked at the couple. Harry and George were trying hard not to laugh as Harry was quietly telling George he had been right about the couple's public displays of affection. Arthur was looking at the couple intently, he could clearly see how in love the pair was and he could also see that Draco was nothing like his father and deserved to be given a chance.

Hermione waited for someone to say something but Molly quickly intervened, demanding that people help tidy the dishes before the afternoon's game of Quidditch began. Within minutes the table was empty and returned to the house as people settled down for the afternoon.

Hermione encouraged Draco to play Quidditch and he found himself on a team with George and Bill while Harry, Ginny and Charlie made up the other team. As usual Percy declined an invitation to play, instead he went inside to do some paperwork.

As the Quidditch game got under way Molly brought out a large picnic rug and settled it on the grass alongside a couple of garden chairs. Molly and Arthur then settled on the chairs to watch the boys and Ginny while Hermione lay on the rug. Fleur had headed indoors to get her daughter and Hermione was looking forward to meeting the baby of the family.

While she waited for Fleur to return Hermione watched Draco for a while. She was thrilled to see him laughing and joking with the Weasley's and Harry as they played Quidditch. George in particular seemed to get along with Draco well, it was the first time Hermione had actually seen George so happy and carefree since Fred's death.

Hermione's attention was drawn away from the sky when Fleur suddenly appeared beside her carrying a beautiful little girl in a pink dress.

"Hermione this is Victorie." Fleur said as she sat down next to Hermione on the picnic rug.

"She is so gorgeous, Fleur." Hermione said, stroking the baby's fine red hair. Fleur's genes had obviously had an effect on the baby as her hair wasn't the same vivid shade of red as the rest of the Weasley's, instead it was a much softer shade of red.

"Do you want to hold her?" Fleur asked.

"I would love to." Hermione said, sitting up on the rug.

Fleur handed Victorie over to Hermione and made sure the brunette witch was holding her small daughter correctly before she sat back. Hermione looked down at the small bundle in her arms, immediately falling in love with the beautiful girl with big blue eyes she was holding.

"You're a natural, Hermione." Molly said, smiling at the sight of Hermione holding her first grandchild.

"Are you planning on having children?" Arthur asked.

At Arthur's question Hermione was immediately hit with the thought of having children with Draco and the images in her head of what their children could potentially look like made her smile. "I've never really thought about it. But I think I would like children someday." Hermione said, answering Arthur's question.

"Someday. Not anytime soon, then?" Molly asked, sounding disappointed.

Apart from Bill the only other one of Molly's children in a relationship was Ginny, who was just embarking on her career so obviously didn't plan on having children soon. So Molly had been thinking that her next grandchild would come via her surrogate daughter, Hermione, as she was the only other person in a serious relationship. Obviously she would have to rethink her hopes of having another baby around the place any time soon.

"I don't think so." Hermione said. "We're just setting up the business and we've only just got married. I think it's probably wiser to wait a few years."

"I think that's an excellent idea." Arthur said, pleased that Hermione was thinking cautiously despite her quick marriage.

"I suppose it is sensible to wait until you're more settled." Molly conceded.

"Hopefully by then Lucius will have come round and will be more accepting of a half-blood grandchild." Hermione said as she wondered if Lucius would actually ever accept any children she had with Draco.

"I take it he reacted badly to you and Draco." Arthur said. He had been eager to know how Lucius had reacted to his son's marriage but he hadn't felt comfortable asking Draco and he had had no opportunity to speak with Hermione until now.

"He actually reacted better than I thought. We managed to have dinner at the Manor and he at least promised to try and accept our marriage." Hermione said, explaining about the previous week's dinner with Draco's parents.

"But you haven't actually heard from him since." Molly said.

"No." Hermione sighed. "Hopefully he'll contact Draco soon."

"What'll happen if he doesn't accept your marriage?" Molly asked, wondering if Lucius would pressure Draco into leaving Hermione.

"Then he'll not be a part of our lives." Hermione said. "I hope it doesn't come to that though, Draco would be devastated to lose his father."

"Do you honestly think Lucius would just walk away?" Arthur questioned, wondering if Hermione and Draco had considered Lucius when they decided to marry. "Surely if he's unwilling to accept your relationship, he'll try and separate you."

Hermione looked surprised at Arthur's questions for a minute until she remembered that she had never actually mentioned the fact that her and Draco were also bonded. "He can't separate us, we're bonded." Hermione said.

Molly and Arthur both looked shocked and immediately started questioning Hermione's decision. However by the time Hermione had explained everything to them they had calmed down and understood that Hermione and Draco had known what they were doing and they had made the right decision for their relationship.

For the rest of the afternoon Hermione lay on the picnic rug playing with Victorie while Draco played Quidditch. When the time came to leave Hermione noticed that Draco was arranging to have a drink with Harry and George the following week. Hermione and Draco said goodbye to the family outside before heading into the house where Molly and Arthur were waiting to say their goodbyes.

"Thank you for having me, it's been great." Draco told Molly and Arthur politely. He really meant it as the afternoon at The Burrow had been thoroughly enjoyable.

"I hope this means the pair of you will be regular visitors." Molly said, hugging both Hermione and Draco.

"Of course." Hermione said, turning and hugging Arthur.

When he had finished hugging Hermione, Arthur turned to Draco and held out his hand to the blond. "Welcome to the family, Draco."

Draco smiled and shook Arthur's hand. He knew that Arthur accepting him was proof that the older wizard truly believed he had changed and was worthy of being with Hermione. "Thank you." He said.

Molly smiled and kissed her husband on the cheek as they watched the young couple grab some floo powder and prepare to head home.

"Thank you for giving him a chance, I'm sure Hermione appreciated it." Molly said once Hermione and Draco had disappeared in the green flames.

"He deserved a chance. Any fool can see how in love he is with Hermione." Arthur said. He had actually been shocked to witness how affectionate Draco was towards his wife as he had always viewed the Malfoy family as cold and uncaring, but clearly the youngest member of the family was different.

"It is rather obvious how much he loves her. Although the feeling's clearly mutual, Hermione's practically glowing with happiness." Molly said with a smile as she thought about how happy Hermione clearly was.

Arthur nodded in agreement as the couple turned and headed back outside to the rest of their family.

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Since returning from The Burrow Hermione had been thinking about the conversation with Molly and Arthur about children. Until Arthur had asked her about children Hermione hadn't really given it much thought and it was only just occurring to her that her and Draco had never once discussed children and if they were a part of their future.

Hermione knew that she needed to speak with Draco about children but when they first returned home she had put it off as they discussed the fact that the Weasley's had accepted Draco. Hermione had then spent the next couple of hours sorting out one of the spare rooms and turning it into a library as she wondered how to broach the subject of children with Draco. When she was finished in the library Hermione took a shower before she returned to the front room where Draco was sitting.

"Hi, beautiful." Draco greeted Hermione as she walked into the room and pulled her onto his lap as she gave him a kiss. "Are you alright? You've been quiet ever since we returned home."

"I'm fine. I've just been thinking about something." Hermione said as she made herself comfortable on Draco.

"Is it anything to do with the baby you spent the afternoon playing with?" Draco asked. He had spent a good amount of the Quidditch match sneaking looks at Hermione and watching what she was doing.

"How do you know what I was doing? I thought you were meant to be playing Quidditch." Hermione said, surprised that Draco had immediately known what she was thinking about.

"Just because I was playing Quidditch doesn't make me blind. I could clearly see what you were doing and Bill was bragging about his little girl several times." Draco explained.

"I suppose it does have something to do with Victorie." Hermione said, answering Draco's earlier question. "Arthur and Molly were asking about children and if we planned on having any."

"What did you say?" Draco asked.

"I told them that I wanted children someday, but not just yet." Hermione said. "Then I realised that it's something we've never discussed and for all I know you don't want children."

"Is this your way of asking me if I want children?"

"I suppose so." Hermione said. "Do you?"

"I've honestly never thought about it before today." Draco admitted. "But then I saw you with the baby and I figured that maybe having children wouldn't be too bad."

"You don't exactly sound enthusiastic." Hermione said, disappointed with Draco's lacklustre response.

"Having children with you would be amazing, I'm just worried." Draco said.

"About what?" Hermione asked.

"I'm worried that I'll be like Lucius. I haven't exactly had a good role model for being a father, what if it's something I can't do." Draco said quietly.

"First of all you're nothing like your father. This last year has proved that." Hermione said, brushing Draco's blond hair out of his eyes. "And secondly, you'll be a great father. The fact you're already worrying about your abilities shows how much you care."

"I suppose I will have time to get used to the idea." Draco said. He was touched that Hermione seemed so confident in his future abilities as a parent. "So how many children were you planning on having?" He asked.

"I don't know. I think I would like more than one but not too many, maybe two or three." Hermione said.

"So you don't want to emulate the Weasley's and have a whole herd." Draco said, slightly relieved that Hermione wasn't keen on numerous children. Two or maybe three would be good but Draco wasn't impressed with the idea of any more than that.

"God no." Hermione laughed. "As much as I love them, there's no way I want such a big family."

"That's a relief. The house would be chaos with that many children, especially if they were Slytherins." Draco said.

"What makes you think our children will be Slytherins?" Hermione demanded. "I was a Gryffindor and very nearly sorted into Ravenclaw."

"Malfoy's are always in Slytherin." Draco said with a smirk.

"And Malfoy's always marry purebloods and have perfect little pureblood brats." Hermione retorted. "I think you and I have changed a lot about your family, so there's a good chance that not all of our children will end up in Slytherin."

"Maybe you're right." Draco said finally. "I suppose I could just about cope with a child in Gryffindor, Ravenclaw would be fine as well."

"What about Hufflepuff?" Hermione asked.

"I'd be very shocked if that happened. What sort of child of ours wouldn't be cunning enough for Slytherin, bright enough for Ravenclaw or courageous enough for Gryffindor?" Draco said, snorting at the ridiculous notion that a Malfoy could end up in Hufflepuff.

"There's nothing wrong with being in Hufflepuff." Hermione said sternly.

"Whatever you say, darling." Draco said, dismissing Hermione's arguments with a wave of his hand. "Instead of fighting over our future children's houses perhaps we should practice making them first."

"I hardly think we need any practice." Hermione said with a smile. "Besides we're not exactly planning on having children right now."

"I know, but think of the fun we'll have before then." Draco said smiling seductively at Hermione.

Hermione smiled back at Draco and bent her head to kiss him. "Okay, I suppose we can practice." She murmured against his lips.

Draco smirked as he deepened the kiss and started to remove Hermione's top. While the couple weren't quite ready to start trying for a baby they had no problem practising for when it would happen.


	26. The Return of Ron

Hermione put aside the morning paper and began to work on her list of employee's that were needed. In the last week final adjustments to the building had been sorted and Draco and Hermione had begun to organise their business. They had sorted out roles for the pair of them and Blaise and had made a list of other employee's they would need.

Hermione was currently sitting in her office which was located on the top floor of the building. The top floor had a large outer office that lead into two separate offices, one belonging to Hermione and one belonging to Draco. Hermione and Draco's offices were connected to each other by a door but both had decorated their own space so both office's looked very different.

Hermione's office was light and airy with several comfortable chairs and sofas in the corner along with a glass coffee table. Along with her large desk Hermione also had several filing cabinets in the room and two walls covered in bookshelves that were only partly full at the minute. Draco's office was much more sleek with dark wooden furnishings and no extra comforts like Hermione's. Like Hermione's office it also had several bookshelves and filing cabinets though.

As well as moving into the building Draco and Hermione had defined their roles in the business. After much discussion it was decided that Draco would be more hands on and would personally run the invention side of the business, giving him a chance to actually spend time in the labs doing potions experiments and inventing new potions. As Draco was in charge of the invention part of their business they decided that Blaise would be the manager of the other side, where potions that were already known were produced. Hermione's job was to run the rest of the business; handling orders, dealing with clients, managing the staff and things such as that.

Hermione was quite happy with the arrangement. She had no problem with being in charge and controlling the business. Hermione knew that Draco was more interested in actually getting involved with the potion making so didn't resent her husband for taking that role in the business. Hermione knew that there was plenty of other business matters Draco would help her with and all his time wouldn't be spent downstairs in the labs.

Hermione looked at the list of employee's needed and wondered if she had missed anyone. Top of her list was a personal secretary, possibly two, for her and Draco as they would need help pretty soon with all the paperwork that would come once they really got going. Also high on her list were a receptionist for downstairs and an assistant manager for the invention department. Draco couldn't spend all his time in the labs so they needed someone reliable for when he was busy elsewhere.

Kingsley had given them some names of people he thought they might be interested in hiring and Hermione was also planning on advertising the job's through the Ministry. The receptionist and personal secretary jobs were going to be advertised in The Daily Prophet once Hermione had finished writing down the job details.

Satisfied she hadn't forgotten anyone Hermione put her list down and began to write the two ads for the paper. Half an hour later she was finished the two ads. Checking them over again Hermione put them in an envelope along with the letter to the paper. She had already spoken with the paper about her adverts and now all she had to do was send the letter to them so they could run the following week.

Noticing it was nearly lunch time Hermione slipped the letter into her bag as she collected her coat. While they were planning on having an owlrey in the building it wasn't yet up and running so Hermione would have to either deliver the letter personally or send the letter from home. Deciding she would just deliver it personally Hermione left her office and went in search of her husband.

Hermione found Draco with Blaise on the third floor. The two men were sorting out what each lab was going to be for and labelling them appropriately. Hermione poked her head around the doorway of the lab they were currently in and told Draco where she was going.

"I thought we were having lunch together." Draco said. They had been so busy setting up the business and settling into their house in the last week that he had barely seen his wife.

"We are. I'll meet you there." Hermione said, saying goodbye and exiting the lab.

Hermione took the life to the ground floor and walked across the stunning reception area. The reception area was very welcoming but it was also elegant. Hermione heels clicked across the marble floor as she made her way to the front doors.

Hermione swiped her wand against the security system so the doors would open. At the minute only three wands were programmed into the system but whenever someone was employed they would have their wand programmed into the main security system. While every employee would be programmed into the main security system several of the labs and the two offices also had extra security which only certain wands could access.

Once outside in Diagon Alley Hermione turned to look at the stunning glass building that her and Draco owned. The entire building was black glass and you couldn't see inside it, the only indication of what the building housed was the golden name plaque on the front doors. Hermione turned away from the building and headed towards the nearest apparition point, situated only a few feet away from the building.

As Hermione apparated away she failed to notice the flash of red hair and the blue eyes that followed her every move from the corner of Diagon Alley.

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Draco sat in the booth at the café where he always had lunch as he waited for Hermione. His piercing grey eyes searched the other customers in the café looking for someone familiar or suspicious. Over the past week Draco had become convinced that someone was following him and watching him but so far he hadn't managed to see anyone suspicious. Draco had debated about telling Hermione about the feeling but decided against it as he had no solid proof that there actually was someone following him.

When the waitress came over to him Draco ordered lunch for both him and Hermione before he went back to scanning the customers. A few minutes later Draco was still looking for someone he might recognise when Hermione entered the café.

"Did you get the ads sorted?" Draco asked as Hermione slid into the booth beside him.

"Yes, they'll start running them on Monday." Hermione replied.

"Good, hopefully next week we'll finally get some staff." Draco said, forgetting all about his feelings of being followed and concentrating on Hermione.

"We already have staff." Hermione pointed out.

"Blaise doesn't count." Draco scoffed.

"Yes he does, he gets paid and he works for us so he's staff." Hermione said as the waitress arrived with their food.

Draco didn't argue as he took a drink of his coffee and a bite of his sandwich. Hermione pulled her own food towards her and smiled as she realised that Draco had order her favourite; Chicken, Ham and Cheese Panini.

"I've been thinking." Draco said after he had swallowed his food. "Since it's your birthday next week and people keep bugging us about seeing the new house, why don't we have a small party next weekend."

"Who's being bugging us about seeing the house?" Hermione asked. "Blaise and Harry have been to the house and anyone else can come and see us anytime."

"George mainly." Draco said with a shrug. "But both Mr and Mrs Weasley mentioned wanting to see it on Sunday."

"I suppose we could have a small housewarming party." Hermione conceded, knowing that Molly was actually dying to see the house.

"Good we can combine it with your birthday celebration." Draco said, taking another bite of his sandwich.

"I though you said birthdays were pointless and not worth celebrating." Hermione said, remembering Draco's less than enthusiastic response to his own birthday a few weeks before they finished school.

"But that was mine I was talking about. I don't like being made a fuss of." Draco said. As a child his mother had thrown him some really over the top parties for his birthday and as a result he didn't like being fussed over.

"But you don't mind if people fuss over me." Hermione said, disliking the idea of being the focus of everyone's attention.

"No, you deserve to be made a fuss of." Draco grinned at Hermione. He had a feeling that no-one had ever really made a big deal of Hermione's birthday before so he wanted to do something for his wife.

Last year Draco had noticed that none of Hermione's friends had made a fuss on her birthday. The only way Draco even knew it was Hermione's birthday was when Luna had given her a card and a small present in the first class of the afternoon. Harry's card had arrived two days after her birthday and even Ginny almost forgot about it, only producing a card at dinner the night of Hermione's birthday.

"You do know that if you insist we incorporate my birthday into the party I won't forget this when it comes to your birthday." Hermione said.

"My birthday's not for another nine months, that's plenty of time for you to forget." Draco said with a smirk.

"I won't forget." Hermione said.

Draco chuckled knowing that Hermione was right and that she probably wouldn't forget. But whatever celebration Hermione would plan for him would be worth enduring if she had a good time on her own birthday.

"When next weekend were you thinking?" Hermione asked. Her birthday was actually on Thursday but she knew that a weekday wasn't the best time for a party.

"Either Friday or Saturday." Draco said. "Although I'm leaning more towards Saturday as most people will be working of Friday."

"Saturday's good. Ginny and I are going to that spa on Friday anyway." Hermione said. One of Ginny's teammates had recommended a new wizarding spa to her and she had persuaded Hermione to join her in a day of pampering.

"I forgot about that, so Saturday it is." Draco said.

"Who were you planning on inviting?" Hermione asked.

"Mainly the Weasley's, Potter, Blaise and I thought you might want to invite Luna or some of your other friends."

"I'll invite Luna but I'm not sure who else to invite, maybe Neville." Hermione mused. Apart from Harry and Ron she had never really made many friends in school so she didn't have a lot of people to invite.

"I was also thinking about asking mother." Draco said tentatively.

Hermione hadn't seen Narcissa since they had had dinner at the Manor a fortnight ago and Draco was unsure how she would feel about inviting her to their home. Draco himself had seen his mother numerous times and she had started dropping hints about seeing where he lived.

"That's a great idea." Hermione smiled.

"Obviously she'll be alone. Although I don't think father would come even if he could leave the house." Draco sighed.

Hermione reached out and took hold of Draco's hand. She knew that Draco hadn't heard from Lucius in a fortnight and was he beginning to get anxious over his father's silence. Lucius hadn't even offered a public statement regarding Draco and Hermione's marriage, every time the press had approached him he declined to comment. Hermione wanted to say something comforting and supportive but she had no idea what to say as she really wasn't sure if Lucius would ever support their marriage.

"So what do you actually want for your birthday?" Draco asked, changing the subject as he didn't really want to dwell on his estrangement with his father.

Hermione thought about what she wanted as she let Draco change the subject to something he was more comfortable discussing.

As Hermione and Draco continued discussing her birthday neither noticed there was a man in the booth next to them listening closely to their entire conversation.

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Ron kept his head down as he listened to Hermione and Draco talking. Despite the glamour he had cast upon himself as he followed Draco from Diagon Alley Ron had made sure to face away from the couple he was eavesdropping on so there was no chance of them recognising him.

After initially finding out about Hermione and Draco being married Ron had gone home to the flat he shared with Harry and gotten drunk. After spending the weekend in a drunken stupor he went to work and was promptly told to go home by the head Auror as he wasn't in any condition to work. Ron had then gone back home and continued to drink but he was now angry at what had happened at work as well as being upset about losing Hermione.

Ron moped around the flat for the next few days. Originally he was working out how he could learn to accept Hermione and Draco's relationship but the anger over his forced absence form work combined with the articles in the papers about Hermione's romance soon had him changing his outlook on things. The more nasty and vicious articles Ron read about Hermione and Draco the more he became convinced that he had to rescue Hermione from the former Slytherin as he was clearly just using her to restore his reputation after the war.

Ron had tried discussing things with Harry and Ginny but both of them were adamant that Hermione's relationship was genuine and that he should stay out of things. Not getting any support from his best friend and sister Ron decided he would take matters into his own hands to make Hermione see she had made a big mistake by marrying Draco.

Using the skills he had acquired in Auror training Ron began following Draco around to catch him doing something to prove he didn't really love Hermione. Ron managed to place a tracking spell on Draco the day he first started his observation of the blond so it was easier for him to keep an eye on the former Death Eater.

Unfortunately Ron had been following Draco around for over a week now and he hadn't witnessed any untoward behaviour from the blond. Ron had been hoping to prove that Draco was still involved in the dark arts or that he was cheating on Hermione but so far he had had no luck proving either idea. Draco hadn't gone anywhere near anything even remotely related to the dark arts and he seemed totally indifferent to the various women that had tried to flirt with him.

Ron was starting to get desperate, he knew he had to return to work soon and once he did he wouldn't have the time to devote to proving that Draco was using Hermione so he had to do it quickly.

As Ron listened to Hermione and Draco plan their party for the following weekend a plan started to form in his head. He would continue to follow Draco for the next week but if he hadn't found anything incriminating by Thursday night he would take matters into his own hands on Friday.

Ron felt slightly bad about the potential of blaming Draco for something he hadn't done but he rationalised it to himself that he was acting in Hermione's best interests. Ron was convinced that Draco would break Hermione's heart eventually so surely it would be better for her if it happened sooner rather than years into the future.

Ron continued to rationalise his devious decision for the rest of the day as he continued to follow Draco, once again finding the blond didn't do anything to prove he was using Hermione.


	27. A Ruined Party

Draco buttoned up his shirt before he left the bedroom and headed downstairs to find Hermione. It was the night of their party and the guests were due to arrive any minute. Hermione had invited the entire Weasley family, including Ron, along with Luna and Neville while Draco had invited his mother and Blaise. The couple had also invited both McGonagall and Kingsley as they were so important in their lives.

Draco found Hermione in the dining room making sure the food was all out and that there were plenty of drinks available. Draco watched Hermione fuss around the room for several minutes before he made his presence known.

"You're supposed to be enjoying yourself not fussing over food."

Hermione whirled round to find Draco leaning against the door frame. "Well someone has to. If I left it to you there'd be nothing to eat."

"But we'd have plenty of drinks." Draco smirked, indicting the mass of alcohol he had bought for the party. "The most important thing at parties is the drinks."

Hermione rolled her eyes at Draco and went to walk past him into the front room. As Hermione passed by Draco he reached out and grabbed Hermione's hand, pulling her closer to his body.

"You look lovely." Draco said, his eyes skimming over Hermione who was wearing a tight pair of jeans with an emerald green low cut top.

"Thanks." Hermione smiled, wrapping her arms around Draco's neck and kissing him quickly on the lips.

Draco pulled Hermione into a second kiss wrapping his arms around Hermione's waist, making sure she couldn't escape his embrace. Hermione and Draco were just getting into the kiss when the sound of the floo network interrupted them.

Reluctantly the couple parted and made their way into the front room where Blaise was standing. Blaise greeted the couple and handed Draco a bottle of firewhisky.

"Told you drink was the most important thing at parties." Draco muttered to Hermione before he offered his friend a drink.

Hermione made a face at Draco before the floo network sounded again, distracting her from her annoying husband. Hermione turned and greeted Charlie, Bill and Fleur who had all arrived together.

Within the next ten minutes nearly everyone had arrived. Luna had arrived with Neville but a few seconds after she arrived Blaise had swooped in on the ditzy blonde girl and was currently flirting with her shamelessly. Hermione had wondered if anything was going on between Neville and Luna as they had always seemed to be close but Luna seemed to be enjoying Blaise's attention while Neville was quite happy talking with Charlie.

Harry and Ginny were the last members of the Weasley family to arrive and Hermione was disappointed to find that Ron wasn't with them. Hermione had extended the invitation to Ron via Harry but it seemed her ex hadn't taken up the invite.

"I'm sorry, Hermione." Harry said, immediately noticing the disappointment on her face when the couple arrived alone. "I tried but he said he wasn't ready yet. I left the address for him in case he changes his mind."

"It's okay Harry. Ron coming was always a long shot." Hermione shrugged.

"I'm so sorry about yesterday Hermione." Ginny said, hugging Hermione. "Hopefully we can re-schedule."

"Of course we can." Hermione told Ginny. Ginny had been forced to cancel their planned trip to the spa the previous day as she was suffering from food poisoning after eating out with Harry a few days earlier. "Are you feeling better now?"

"Yes, I'm fine." Ginny replied. "Are you going to give us the tour then?" She asked, looking around at the exquisitely decorated front room and wondering if the rest of the house looked so perfect.

"I'm going to get a drink, since I've already seen the house." Harry said, wandering away from his best friend and girlfriend. Harry had visited Hermione's house once but it was Ginny's first time in the building.

"Come on, I'll give you the tour." Hermione said, leading Ginny out of the room.

Hermione showed Ginny around the ground floor before they headed upstairs. Upon viewing the guest bedroom Ginny immediately decided that she needed to come and visit one time as the room was far nicer than her own bedroom at the Burrow and nicer than Harry's room at his flat.

"Where's your bedroom?" Ginny asked once Hermione had given her the tour and started to head towards the stairs.

"At the end of the hall, why?" Hermione asked puzzled.

"I just want to see if it's as nice as the rest of the house." Ginny said as she turned and walked towards the door that led to Hermione and Draco's room.

Hermione followed Ginny into her bedroom knowing the redhead was just being nosy. During their last year at Hogwarts Ginny had often lamented the fact that Draco rarely left his room so she didn't have the opportunity to nosy about the Slytherin's room. Hermione had actually been relieved that Draco was usually in his room as she knew that Ginny would have noticed her stuff mixed in with Draco's belongings instantly.

"This is possibly the biggest bedroom I've ever seen." Ginny exclaimed as she wandered around the huge room.

Hermione looked around the room and thought that Ginny could possibly be right, the room was very large. The large king size bed dominated the room with two bedside tables at either side of the bed. Opposite the bed was a large wall mounted television, something Hermione had explained to Draco on their honeymoon and he had subsequently become obsessed with. There was a large fireplace in the corner of the room with a cosy sofa in front of it. Next to the fire was the large sliding glass doors that led to the balcony.

Ginny wandered around the room in awe as she examined various trinkets that Hermione had picked up on her honeymoon. Being extra nosy Ginny noticed the two doors in the corner and wandered over to them. After asking Hermione for permission Ginny opened the first door and entered the bathroom.

Like the rest of the house Ginny was awed with the size and opulence of the room. Everything in the bathroom was sparkling and clearly newly fitted. Ginny briefly examined the few bits standing on the sink, noticing that Hermione and Draco's things were mixed together instead of being separated.

After finishing in the bathroom Ginny took a peek into the walk in closet. She wasn't surprised to find that Draco seemed to own masses of clothes but she was surprised by the amount of clothing in Hermione's half of the closet. In all the years she had known Hermione the brunette had shown no interest in fashion but now she had a wardrobe full of stunning clothes.

"Have you finished now?" Hermione asked as Ginny left the closet with a stunned look on her face.

"Yes. You have a lot of clothes." Ginny said, wondering if she could persuade Hermione to let her borrow some of them some time.

"I know, Draco likes to shop and he has a tendency to spoil me." Hermione explained as she led Ginny back out of the bedroom.

"Why does that not surprise me." Ginny laughed. It was clear to see that Draco made a lot of effort with his clothes and it was also obvious he liked to spoil Hermione as she had numerous pieces of jewellery that the blond had bought her.

By the time Hermione and Ginny arrived back downstairs Hermione was pleased to see that Narcissa had arrived. Even though Narcissa had accepted the invitation Hermione knew that Draco was worried that his mother would fail to show up.

Hermione had only been in the room for a few seconds before Narcissa broke away from where she was standing talking with McGonagall and approached her daughter-in-law.

"Hermione, thank you so much for inviting me." Narcissa said as she arrived at Hermione's side.

"You're very welcome, Narcissa." Hermione said with a smile.

Narcissa reached into her robes and produced a small box which she handed to Hermione. "Draco said it was your birthday a few days ago, this is for you."

"Thank you, you didn't have to." Hermione said, stunned by the present from Narcissa.

At Narcissa's prodding Hermione opened the box to find a silver bangle nestled inside the box. Hermione removed the bangle, noticing that there were emeralds embedded in the silver bangle. There was also a charm hanging from the bangle and when Hermione took a closer look she was surprised to find the charm was actually the Malfoy family crest. She immediately recognised the crest as Draco had a ring with it on.

"It's beautiful." Hermione said, slipping the bangle onto her wrist and watching as the bracelet magically altered itself so it wouldn't slip off her wrist.

"I'm pleased you like it." Narcissa said.

"I love it." Hermione said, still looking at the beautiful bangle around her wrist.

The two Malfoy women then spoke for a few more minutes, Narcissa inquiring about the business and how things were going with Draco. Hermione answered Narcissa's questions but couldn't find an appropriate way to bring up Lucius and his attitude towards her marriage to Draco.

After speaking with Narcissa Hermione then spent the next few hours mingling with the rest of the guests. She was talking with Neville about his future plans when the floo network sounded and Ron surprisingly appeared in the room.

The front room fell silent and the handful of people in the dining room entered the front room to find out what was happening.

"Ron, you came." Hermione was the first person to get over the shock of seeing Ron and find her voice.

"Yes, I had to." Ron said, talking directly to Hermione and ignoring everyone else who was watching with interest. "I don't want to hurt you Hermione, but you need to know the truth."

"What are you talking about Ron?" Hermione asked, puzzled by Ron's cryptic behaviour.

"I have something you should see." Ron replied, pulling an envelope from his pocket and handing it to Hermione.

Hermione looked at the envelope for a few minutes before she opened it and pulled out the contents. Hermione pulled out a set of photographs which she began to study. The first photograph showed Draco in a bar talking to a blonde woman. Hermione flipped through the pictures that showed Draco kissing the woman and heading into a seedy muggle hotel. The last few were clearly taken through the window and showed Draco and the woman in bed together.

Hermione studied the pictures for several minutes. While the man in the pictures looked like Draco, down to the faded dark mark on his left wrist and his scar on his shoulder from his run in with Harry in sixth year, Hermione wasn't convinced it was actually her husband in the pictures. First of all Hermione refused to believe that Draco would cheat on her but there was also the fact the man in the pictures didn't move the same way as Draco. As the pictures were wizard photos they were moving and there was enough movement in them for Hermione to recognise that the man moved nothing like Draco.

Hermione looked at the pictures one final time, suddenly realising that the man in the pictures moved more like Ron than Draco. At this realisation Hermione suddenly turned her attention to Ron, not wanting to believe what she was starting to suspect about Ron.

"I'm sorry Hermione." Ron said sympathetically as Hermione looked at him.

"How did you get these and when were they taken?" Hermione asked, no emotion evident in her voice.

"They were taken yesterday afternoon." Ron replied, slightly taken back by Hermione's emotionless response. He had fully expected Hermione to cry and to yell at her husband.

"What is going on?" Draco finally asked as he walked over to where Hermione was standing.

Hermione wordlessly handed Draco the photo's as she continued to look at Ron. Draco growled darkly as he threw the pictures on the coffee table and whipped out his wand and pointed it at Ron.

"What the hell do you think you're playing at?" Draco asked, poking the tip of his wand in Ron's throat.

"I didn't do anything, it was you. I knew you were only using Hermione, this proves it." Ron said, trying not to sound as scared as he felt with the former Death Eater threating him.

"That's not me." Draco said darkly, pressing his wand further into Ron's throat. "What did you do, use polyjuice potion?"

Ron visibly paled at the allegation but refused to answer.

"What's happening?" Harry asked. The Weasley's were starting to get anxious about what was happening to Ron and he wanted to avoid a major fight breaking out.

"Ron has given me pictures that supposedly show Draco cheating on me." Hermione said, picking up the pictures and showing them to Harry.

"What do you mean supposedly?" Ron choked out. "It's clear what's happening in the pictures."

"You would think so, wouldn't you." Hermione replied. "But Draco wouldn't cheat on me and he was with me all afternoon yesterday, so the man in the picture couldn't have been him."

The whole room started at Ron who was now extremely pale and shaking visibly as Draco continued to hold his wand to his throat. Ron racked his brains for something to say as he witnessed his entire plan fall down around him.

"What's going on Ron? Please say you didn't deliberately set Draco up." Molly said, hoping she was misunderstanding events and Ron hadn't just tried to ruin Hermione's marriage.

Hermione pulled Draco away from Ron so that her ex could speak. Draco moved back slightly but he kept his wand firmly pointed at Ron as the redhead looked around wildly, probably trying to think of an explanation or spot an escape route. When Ron realised that everyone had crowded around him and he was trapped he knew he would have to admit to what he had done.

"I did this for you, 'Mione." Ron pleaded, trying to make Hermione see that he only had her best interests at heart. "He's only going to break your heart."

"So you figured you'd do it for him." Hermione snapped.

"What happened Ron?" Harry asked his friend. "How did you get the pictures?"

"I've been following Malfoy for the past few weeks, waiting for him to slip up and reveal his true colours." Ron said, annoyed that somehow his plan had failed.

"What happened? Did you get annoyed when I didn't do anything to prove your ridiculous theories about me?" Draco scoffed, his wand still pointing at Ron.

"Yes. Since you've perfected the perfect husband routine I had to get creative." Ron glared at Draco as he spoke, still convinced that the blond Slytherin didn't really love Hermione.

"What did you do Ron?" Harry asked trying to keep Ron on track and not let him get distracted by his anger towards Draco.

"I used a glamour charm to bump into Malfoy and get a few of his hairs. Then I used polyjuice potion to fake the photos."

"Bastard." Draco spat, advancing once again on Ron.

"Draco, don't." Hermione put a hand on her husband's arm and stopped him from hexing Ron. "Why would you think I'd believe that Draco would cheat on me?"

"You were supposed to be with Ginny." Ron said, wondering why Hermione hadn't actually been with his sister like she was supposed to have been. Ron hadn't actually seen Ginny all week so he had known nothing if their cancelled day out. "If you had been you would have believed the pictures. You only knew they were fake because you were with him at the time."

"I wouldn't have believed the pictures. I knew the minute I looked at them that they were fake, Draco would never do that to me." Hermione said. "It was just an unfortunate coincidence for you that Ginny was ill yesterday and we didn't go to the spa."

"Ronald Weasley how dare you behave in such a manner, I've never been so disgusted in all my life." Molly suddenly shouted, marching up to her youngest son and slapping him around the head.

"I'm so sorry Hermione, Draco." Arthur said as he shot his son disgusted looks.

"It's not your fault, there's only one person at fault here." Hermione said glaring at Ron. She wanted Molly and Arthur to know she didn't blame them for Ron's behaviour.

"Are you going to press charges against him?" Arthur asked, knowing that there was bound to be some sort of legal proceedings that Hermione and Draco could take against Ron.

"Please don't, I'd lose my job." Ron whimpered, suddenly realising the consequences of his actions."

"You still might." Kingsley said. "No matter what Draco and Hermione decide I want to see you in my office first thing on Monday morning."

Ron looked horrified by Kingsley's summons and turned back to Hermione to plead for mercy.

"Get him out of here, now." Draco said, turning abruptly and leaving the room.

After apologising for their son one final time Molly and Arthur forcibly removed Ron, taking him back to the Burrow where he would no doubt be in serious trouble.

In the aftermath of Ron running the party everyone else began to leave. All the Weasley's apologising to Hermione as they left, even though she assured them she didn't hold a grudge against any of them.

Eventually there was only Harry, Ginny and Narcissa left in the room. Narcissa went to find Draco while Hermione said goodbye to her friends who were planning on avoiding the Burrow for the rest of the night.

"I can't believe what Ron did, I'm going to kill him." Ginny swore, annoyed by her brother's behaviour. She knew that he still had feelings for Hermione but he had gone too far tonight.

"Tell Malfoy we're sorry, we had no idea Ron was so obsessed with breaking up your marriage. We actually thought he was learning to accept it." Harry said.

Harry and Ginny said a final goodbye to Hermione and flooed to Harry's flat, leaving Hermione standing in the mess of the ruined party. Hermione looked around the room and began to clean up using magic. After finishing in the front room Hermione headed into the kitchen and dining room to finish tidying up.

As Hermione was tidying the leftover food and drink she noticed Draco and Narcissa in the back garden. Even though she could only see the side of her husband she could tell Draco was angry and whatever Narcissa was saying to him didn't seem to be helping. Hermione had just finished the tidying when she saw Narcissa give Draco a peck on the cheek before she returned to the house.

Hermione walked Narcissa to the fireplace and said goodbye to her mother-in-law, apologising for the disaster of a night. Narcissa reassured Hermione that what had happened wasn't her fault and that she had enjoyed herself.

While she was saying goodbye to Narcissa, Hermione heard Draco re-enter the house and head upstairs. Once Narcissa had left Hermione closed the floo network and went upstairs in search of Draco.

"Are you alright?" Hermione asked as she entered their bedroom to find Draco undressing.

"Apart from wanting to kill the Weasel, I'm fine." Draco said, throwing his clothes onto the floor.

"You don't look fine." Hermione commented, noticing that Draco now looked more sad than angry.

"I am." Draco said, entering the bathroom and closing the door behind him.

Hermione sighed and began to pick up Draco's clothes. She knew there was something bothering Draco but she also knew that he would eventually tell her and pushing him into talking about it would do no good.

While Draco was in the bathroom Hermione removed her make-up and jewellery and waited until she could get into the bathroom herself. Once Draco emerged from the bathroom Hermione headed into the room hoping that when she returned that Draco would want to talk to her.

Unfortunately by the time Hermione re-entered the bedroom Draco was already in bed and Hermione could tell that he was in no mood to talk. Hermione crawled into bed next to Draco, who immediately wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back against his chest. Hermione was relieved that despite Draco's emotional coldness he still initiated physical contact with her.

"Thank you for believing in me and not believing the pictures." Draco whispered to Hermione after a few minutes. Despite knowing the pictures were false Draco had been terrified that Hermione would believe Ron's lies so he was pleased when Hermione never questioned him and immediately stated how much she trusted him.

"I know you'd never do that to me." Hermione said, turning over so she could face Draco. "I trust you."

Draco smiled softly and kissed Hermione briefly. Hermione still thought there was something else bothering Draco apart from the stunt Ron had pulled but she decided against pressing her husband into talking. Instead she settled in Draco's arms, eventually drifting off to sleep long before her husband who lay awake most of the night thinking about what had happened over the last few hours.

* * *

**A/N - I know a lot of you were worried about Ron's plan so I hope this result pleases you. I really dislike stories where Draco is falsely accused of something and Hermione doesn't believe him when he deny's the allegations, to me that shows she mustn't really trust him. In this I wanted Ron to try something but for Hermione to be adamant in her trust for Draco.**


	28. Hermione's plea

Blaise Zabini smiled softly to himself as he headed back to work after his lunch. He had just had lunch with Luna Lovegood after nearly a week of pursuing her. Blaise had first noticed the quirky blonde witch at Draco and Hermione's party on Saturday night and had enjoyed flirting with her. Since then he had asked the former Ravenclaw witch out numerous times and finally she had relented and agreed to have lunch with him.

Blaise had really enjoyed his lunch date with Luna and he was now wondering if she would agree to a date one night. When he had asked her before leaving the café they had dined in she had smiled at him and told him to ask her again the following week. Obviously the blonde witch wasn't going to just fall at his feet and she would prove to be a challenge, something Blaise was very impressed with. Blaise was looking forward to the challenge of pursuing Luna as he had a feeling she would be worth it in the long term.

When he arrived back at DHM Potions Blaise briefly flirted with the new receptionist before heading up to see Draco. Over the past week several new members of staff had started work at the potions company and it was starting to feel more like a proper business.

Blaise arrived on the top floor where Draco's office was situated and smiled brightly at the secretary that Hermione had hired the previous day.

"Hi, Louise. Is Draco in?"

"He's down on the third floor with Mrs Malfoy." Louise replied, smiling at the good looking wizard who was her bosses best friend.

"Thanks." Blaise said, stepping back into the lift and heading for the third floor.

The minute Blaise stepped out of the lift on the third floor he heard raised voices. Blaise grimaced as he made out the voices of Draco and Hermione arguing. Draco had been in a terrible mood all week and had been snapping at everyone but it seemed that his bad mood had escalated as he was now arguing with his wife.

Blaise made his way towards the lab he thought that Draco and Hermione were in, listening to the argument between them and trying to decided what they were arguing about.

"You're impossible." Blaise heard Hermione yell.

"I'm impossible, you're the one who won't listen to anyone else's opinion." Draco retorted.

"I'll listen when you make a valid point and not just shout at me."

"You know what, do what you want Granger. I'm not bothered."

Blaise stopped in shock as heard Draco call Hermione by her maiden name. Blaise couldn't remember the last time Draco had called his wife anything other than her first name. In fact Blaise had been rather shocked the few times he had heard Draco call her honey or darling as he had never pictured Draco as the type of person who would use endearments but half the time he didn't think Draco even realised he was doing it.

Blaise was still standing in the middle of the corridor when the lab door banged open and Hermione came out of the lab seconds after Draco had called her Granger. Hermione stormed down the corridor and didn't even acknowledge Blaise as she headed towards the lifts. Blaise waited until Hermione had disappeared into the lift before he headed towards the lab to see Draco.

Blaise found Draco leaning against a bench, clearly trying to calm himself down. Blaise hovered in the doorway unsure of whether or not to speak when Draco looked up and spotted him.

"You're back. Come on we've got lots to do this afternoon." Draco said and Blaise could hear the anger still evident in his voice.

"Shouldn't you go after Hermione, she looked pretty mad." Blaise wasn't sure if he should get involved but he knew Draco loved Hermione and he didn't want his friend to destroy his marriage.

"No, if I go after her we'll only end up arguing more. I'll talk to her later." Draco said, dismissing the subject.

Blaise knew Draco well enough not to push the subject so instead he turned his attention onto the work they had planned for the afternoon.

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Hermione sat in her office thinking about the fight she had just had with Draco. It was the first fight they had had since they had been married and even though it wasn't exactly a major fight Hermione still didn't like the feeling it had left her with. Hermione debated going back and apologising to Draco but she eventually decided it was better if they both cooled off for a few hours.

After deciding to leave Draco for a while Hermione started to think about the real reason behind his recent bad mood. After the party Hermione had initially thought his bad mood stemmed from Ron and what he had done but it soon became clear that there was something else bothering Draco.

After a few days of Draco snapping at people Hermione had confronted her husband and gotten him to admit what was really bothering him. Draco revealed that before she returned home after the party Narcissa admitted to Draco that Lucius was looking for loopholes in the bonding ceremony and it didn't look likely that he would accept their relationship.

Hermione felt terrible for Draco as she knew he hadn't really thought that Lucius would abandon him. Hermione didn't really know how to handle Draco as it was clear that her husband was devastated by the news that Lucius was still unwilling to accept their relationship.

Thinking about Draco's situation Hermione made a decision. Quickly she gathered up her belongings and after telling her secretary she was leaving for the day she apparated home.

Once at home Hermione quickly got changed. Before she had a chance to change her mind Hermione headed into the front room and walked towards the fire. Taking a deep breath Hermione grabbed some floo powder and walked into the green flames, calling out her destination.

A few seconds later Hermione stepped out of the fire at Malfoy Manor. Hermione was still unsure of her decision to speak to Lucius but figured if he was already against her and Draco she couldn't actually do any harm. Hermione had only just wiped the soot from her clothing when a house elf appeared in front of her.

"Young Mistress Malfoy, Mitzee not know you were coming." The elf squeaked, wringing her hands nervously.

Hermione was initially surprised that the elf knew who she was but then she remembered that the elves were bound to the Malfoy family so automatically knew every member of the family.

"It's a surprise visit." Hermione said. "I'm here to see Lucius."

"Master Malfoy is not to be disturbed." Mitzee said.

"I need to see him. Show me where he is." Hermione felt bad for ordering the house elf around but knew it was the only way to get the elf to take her to Lucius.

Mitzee sighed, unable to refuse Hermione's order. She quickly led Hermione out of the front parlour and down a dark corridor, stopping outside a door at the end of the corridor.

"Thank you." Hermione smiled at the elf before it hurried off not wanting to be around when Lucius spotted Hermione.

Hermione knocked on what she presumed to be Lucius's office door before she lost her nerve. Hermione could hear movement and quiet muttering inside the room but when the door remained closed she knocked again.

"What do you want Narcissa?" The voice of Lucius Malfoy floated through the closed door.

Deciding Lucius wasn't going to open the door for her, Hermione decided she would do it herself. Hermione pushed open the door and entered Lucius office. As she shut the door behind her Lucius looked up from his desk, fully expecting to see his wife.

"What are you doing here?" Lucius asked, too shocked by Hermione's presence to make sure his normal disapproving tone was in place.

"I've come to talk to you."

"We've got nothing to discuss." Lucius said, regaining his composure.

"Yes we have. I know you don't like me and believe me the feeling's entirely mutual. I would be quite happy to never set eyes on you again." Hermione said, determined that she would get Lucius to listen to her.

"Then why come here?" Lucius asked.

"I need to speak to you about Draco." Hermione said, wondering if she would be able to get through to Lucius.

"I have no desire to talk about Draco. He's made his decision regarding you and he's made his position quite clear about his relationship with me." Lucius said, glaring at the woman who was to blame for his estrangement from his son.

"You would really lose Draco just because you don't agree with his choice of wife?" Hermione asked Lucius, who replied with a sharp nod of the head. "Draco didn't think for one minute he would lose you. Despite all his talk about you disapproving he never truly believed you would abandon him."

"I'm sure he knew it was a possibility. My son is not stupid." Lucius said.

"No, he's not. He just believed that you would love him enough to accept his decisions." Hermione said quietly. "I'm not sure he would have married me if he seriously though he would lose you." Hermione admitted the final part even though it hurt her to think that Draco might not have chosen to marry her if he had known how severe Lucius' reaction would be.

"I doubt that." Lucius sighed. He wanted to believe what Hermione said was true but he couldn't. "I might disapprove of your marriage to my son, but it's clear he loves you."

"And I love him, which is why I'm here. He'll never admit it but the thought of losing you permanently is a devastating one. Despite everything that's happened these last few years Draco still looks up to you and is desperate to make you proud of him." Hermione wondered if anything she was saying was making an impact with Lucius but she couldn't tell anything by his blank expression.

Lucius sat looking at Hermione, waiting for her to continue. There was a part of him that wanted to say just how proud he actually was of Draco but there was no way he was admitting such a thing to a muggleborn, even if she was his daughter-in-law.

"My parents aren't here anymore. They'll never get a chance to see how I've turned out and what I've made of my life." Lucius frowned at Hermione's sudden change of direction wondering why she was suddenly talking about herself. "You have that chance but you're willing to throw it away. You can keep track of Draco's life through the papers and Narcissa but think of everything you'd be missing if you lost touch with him. You'd never get the chance to persuade him to come and work with you, something he really wants to do in the future."

Lucius couldn't help the miniscule smile that crept onto his face as Hermione told him that Draco wanted to work with him. It was something Lucius had been looking forward to for years and in the last few weeks had had reconciled himself to the fact it would never happen.

"I don't suppose you've thought about grandchildren either. They may not be pure-bloods but they'd still be Malfoy's." Hermione said, unsure if she was doing the right thing in mentioning ruining the pure blood line that Lucius was so proud of. "They're already one set of grandparents down and while I'm sure the Weasley's will love them it's not the same as actual family. Although I don't suppose it'll be pleasant explaining to them that they actually have a real grandfather but he doesn't want anything to do with them."

"I get your point." Lucius said, disrupting Hermione before she continued. He was actually quite impressed that Hermione would use her future children to try and manipulate him, it was very Slytherin of her.

"I'm not asking you to like me or even approve of me. But please think about it before you destroy your relationship with Draco for good. We both know he's ridiculously stubborn and if you spurn him now he'll never forgive you, no matter how much he loves you." Hermione looked at Lucius one final time, hoping she had persuaded him not to abandon Draco.

After a couple of minutes just staring at each other Hermione turned and left the room. She quickly hurried back to the front parlour and flooed home, hoping she hadn't made a huge mistake by talking with Lucius.

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Lucius sat staring at the spot where Hermione had been standing for several minutes after her departure. Lucius had never expected a visit from his daughter-in-law and as much as it pained him to admit it she had spoken a lot of sense.

Since finding out about Draco's marriage Lucius had been looking into ways of breaking the bond but as he suspected he had found nothing as the bonding ceremony was unbreakable. Since then Lucius had tried to accept Draco's decision but it was something he was struggling to do. However Hermione's surprising visit had made Lucius realise the consequences of not accepting Draco's marriage.

Despite having no plans to accept Draco's marriage, Lucius had never really considered what it would be like without his son in his life. Hermione had made it perfectly clear that if he disowned Draco now there would be no going back at a later date if he changed his mind. Lucius already knew this but having it spelt out to him made him realise what a serious decision he had to make.

The part of Hermione's speech that had affected him the most was when she had spoken of grandchildren. Lucius had never really considered grandchildren before but the thought of never seeing Draco's children wasn't a good one. Hermione had been right when she said that any grandchildren would still be Malfoy's, despite their mother's less than desirable blood status.

Lucius sat thinking about Hermione's words for well over an hour before he reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a piece of parchment. Lucius looked at the contract he had just removed from the drawer. It was the contract he had been sorting the day Draco should have returned from Hogwarts, the contract that signed half of his company over to Draco.

Making a snap decision Lucius grabbed his quill and signed the contract. He then pulled out a fresh piece of parchment and wrote a note to Draco. Sealing the letter Lucius headed off to send the letter to Draco, feeling relieved that he had reached a decision he could live with.


	29. Acceptance and Apologies

Draco was sitting in his office when his father's owl arrived. Draco had been busy contemplating the fight he had had with Hermione earlier and wishing he hadn't taken his bad mood out on her.

Draco removed the letter from his father's owl before it swooped back out of the window. Draco was surprised it had taken Lucius so long to write to him. After what Narcissa had told him on Saturday Draco had expected to receive a letter from his father earlier. Draco stared at the letter for several minutes before he ripped it open and read the short note. Lucius wanted to see him as soon as possible.

Draco got up from his desk and began making sure everything in the room was neat and tidy. Satisfied his office was fine Draco left it and locked it behind him. Draco double checked that Hermione's office was also locked before he headed for the lift. Draco was so distracted in the lift that he barely registered when it stopped on the third floor and Blaise entered.

"Do you want to come for a drink, Draco?" Blaise asked as the lift started moving again.

"I can't." Draco replied, trying not to reveal he had been startled by Blaise's shock appearance in the lift. "My father wants to see me and then I have to go and apologise to my wife."

"I didn't realise you and Lucius were speaking." Blaise said, shocked by the mention of Draco's father.

"We're not. I haven't spoken to him since the day after I told him about Hermione." Draco said with a sigh. "I think he wants to let me know he won't accept Hermione."

"I'm sorry." Blaise said.

Draco didn't have a chance to reply as the lift stopped and the two men disembarked and walked across the marble floor to the front doors. Draco set the security wards and together with Blaise he left the building.

"Good luck with Lucius." Blaise said.

"Thanks, I'm going to need it." Draco sighed, saying goodbye to his friend and apparating to the Manor.

Draco appeared in the front hallway of the Manor with a loud crack. Draco didn't bother to wait for a house elf to appear before he left the hallway. He immediately set off to his father's office, wanting to get the meeting over with quickly and return home to Hermione.

As soon as Draco knocked on his father's door Lucius shouted for him to enter. Draco entered Lucius' office to find his father sitting in one of the two chairs that were positioned in front of the fire.

"Draco, come and sit down." Lucius said. "Do you want a drink?"

"Sure." Draco replied, moving to sit in the chair next to Lucius as his father poured him a glass of firewhisky from the bottle that was sitting on the table next to his chair.

"I suppose you're wondering why I wanted to see you." Lucius said, handing Draco his drink.

"Not really. I suspect you're about to tell me that you can't accept Hermione as my wife." Draco shrugged, hoping his father couldn't tell how upset he was at the notion.

"Up until this afternoon that was exactly what I had planned on doing." Lucius admitted.

"What's changed?" Draco asked, curious as to what his father was now going to say.

"I had a visitor this afternoon who made me see things from another point of view." Lucius said, thinking about how Hermione had made him realise how important he still was to Draco.

"Who?"

"Your wife."

"Hermione came to see you." Draco said, totally shocked by Lucius' revelation.

"Yes." Lucius chuckled slightly at Draco's shocked reaction, obviously Hermione hadn't mentioned her visit to him. "I would say we talked but it was more like she talked and I listened."

"What did she say?" Draco asked, wondering if their earlier fight had prompted Hermione's visit to his father.

"Enough to make me realise I almost made a huge mistake." Lucius admitted, not liking how close he had come to disowning Draco.

Draco looked at his father, hoping he was saying what he thought he was saying. However until Lucius actually said he would accept Hermione Draco wasn't planning on getting his hopes up.

Lucius knew Draco was waiting for him to speak so he prepared himself and hoped he could make Draco see how much he loved him without having to show too much emotion.

"I'm not promising miracles and I'm sure things will be difficult at times but I will accept Hermione as your wife." Lucius said.

"Thank you." Draco said, surprised that his father had called Hermione by her first name. "You have no idea what that means to me."

"I think I do." Lucius said with a small smile. "You're very lucky to have a wife that loves you as much as Hermione does. After everything I've said and done to her she was still willing to come here and fight for you."

Draco wondered just what Hermione had said to his father, if he didn't know any better he would have said that Lucius was actually coming to like Hermione as he almost sounded affectionate when he spoke about her.

"So does this mean we're still part of the family?" Draco asked, wondering how involved in their lives Lucius planned on being.

"Most definitely. I expect to see you and your wife at dinner regularly and of course for special occasions. Hopefully after next May your mother and I can even visit your house occasionally." If Lucius was going to accept Hermione he was going to do it properly and make sure that he saw Draco on a regular basis.

Draco was shocked by Lucius' statement but didn't have a chance to respond as his father suddenly got up and headed over to his desk. Draco watched as Lucius picked up a document and returned to his seat.

"This is for you." Lucius said, handing the parchment to Draco.

Draco read the document, his eyes widening in shock as he realised what he was reading. "You're signing over half your business to me."

"Yes." Lucius nodded. "I know you've just started your own company and I know that's where your focus will be but you were always going to get half the business when you left school and I see no reason why you still shouldn't. Hopefully one day you'll take a more active role in the business but even if you never do it's still part of your inheritance."

"Thank you." Draco said, not sure what else to say to his father's unexpected gesture.

"Do you want another drink?" Lucius asked, getting uncomfortable with all the emotions that were evident in the room.

"No. I should be getting back to Hermione." Draco said, standing up.

"Of course." Lucius said, also rising from his seat. "Will you thank Hermione for me. Tell her I appreciated her coming to see me."

"I will." Draco said, wondering once again what exactly Hermione had said to his father.

Draco said a final goodbye to his father before he left the office and headed into the front parlour to floo home. Draco wondered if he should speak to his mother before leaving but decided against it. He was eager to see Hermione and knew his mother would be in contact as soon as his father told her about the decision he had made.

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Hermione was curled up on the sofa watching the television with a glass of wine when the floo network sounded and Draco arrived in the room. Hermione was surprised by the method of Draco's arrival, she had assumed he would have come home from work and there was no floo network set up in their offices yet. Obviously her husband had been somewhere else between leaving work and coming home.

Draco brushed himself down as he wondered how to approach Hermione. His wife had glanced up briefly as he arrived home but soon returned her attention back towards her television programme. Obviously Hermione was still upset with him, not that Draco could blame her. Draco knew that he had been in a rotten mood all week and Hermione had been on the receiving end of his bad mood several times, cumulating in the fight earlier when she had finally snapped back at him.

Draco removed his jacket and threw it over a chair before he sat down next to Hermione on the sofa. "I'm sorry, Hermione."

Hermione turned her attention away from the television and faced Draco. She noticed that for the first time in a week he didn't look to be in a bad mood.

"I know I've been in a bad mood all week but I shouldn't have taken it out on you." Draco said, wondering if Hermione was close to forgiving him.

"I'm sorry too. I knew you were upset, I shouldn't have snapped this afternoon." Hermione said, smiling softly at Draco.

"I deserved it, I've been really awful this past week. I'm amazed you haven't lost it long before now." Draco said, feeling bad about the way he had behaved for the past week.

"Let's just forget about it." Hermione said, wanting to forget all about the argument.

"Okay." Draco smiled, leaning over and gently brushing his lips against Hermione's. "Do you fancy going out to dinner?" He asked as he pulled back.

"Sure. Although I've already forgiven you, you don't need to do this."

"I was thinking it would actually be my way of thanking you." Draco said.

"What are you thanking me for?" Hermione asked.

"Going to talk to my father."

Hermione was surprised that Draco knew of her visit so quickly. "How do you know I did that?"

"Before I came home I was at the Manor. Father asked to see me." Draco explained.

"What did he say?" Hermione asked, hoping she hadn't made things worse between Draco and Lucius.

Draco smiled and told Hermione everything that had happened with his father and the decisions he had made.

"So he's accepting our marriage?" Hermione was still quite shocked that Lucius had chosen to accept their marriage only hours after she had spoken with him.

"Yes. What exactly did you say to him?" Draco asked.

"First of all I explained how much he meant to you and how you didn't want to lose him. Then I may have resorted to emotional blackmail regarding our future children." Hermione said, explaining to Draco what she had said regarding children.

Draco laughed at Hermione's explanation. "That was very Slytherin of you, no wonder you impressed father."

"I impressed him?" Hermione asked.

"Yes." Draco nodded. "He didn't actually say as much but it was obvious when he spoke about you. Between displaying your cunning Slytherin side and your brave Gryffindor side you showed him that you worthy of being a Malfoy."

"I'm honoured." Hermione said, sarcastically.

"You should be. Father accepting us is a big deal and I'm not sure he ever would have done so if you hadn't gone and spoken to him." Draco said. "He also wanted me to thank you for visiting him and to tell you he appreciated it."

"I'm just pleased I didn't make things worse." Hermione said, admitting the fear she had had since leaving Malfoy Manor a few hours ago.

"I'm not sure it would have been possible to make things worse." Draco said, knowing that without Hermione visiting his father things would have turned out very different.

"Luckily for me." Hermione muttered. She couldn't help but wonder if Draco would have been so understanding about her visiting Lucius if her visit had produced a different reaction from his father.

"I'm the one who's lucky." Draco said. "I'm really lucky to have an amazing wife who loves me enough to visit my father. I'm really grateful for what you've done for me, Hermione."

"It was nothing." Hermione said coyly. "I just want you to be happy and I know how much Lucius means to you."

"It isn't nothing to me, thank you." Draco said, giving Hermione a kiss.

Hermione deepened the kiss and pulled Draco closer to her. "How about you thank me properly." She whispered, her hands wandering under Draco's shirt.

"I thought we were going out to dinner." Draco said.

"We can go later." Hermione replied, pushing Draco back against the sofa and straddling his lap.

Draco reached up and tangled his hand in Hermione's hair, pulling her closer and joining their lips together. As they kissed Draco totally forgot about dinner as he concentrated on undressing his wife.

Nearly an hour after Draco returned home the couple finally made it upstairs to begin getting ready to go out. However it took them another hour before they finally managed to keep their hands off each other long enough to get dressed and leave the house.

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**A/N - Over the weekend I finished writing this story and there is four more chapters to go. I would like to thank everyone for the support of this story and I hope you all enjoy the final few chapters.**


	30. Harry's Halloween Surprise

Draco sat on the edge of the bed flipping through the television channels. He wasn't really bothered about finding something to watch, he was just passing the time until Hermione was ready to leave.

It was Halloween and Harry had decide to throw a party for some reason. Draco hadn't been keen on the idea of attending the party but Hermione had insisted that they had to go. The main reason Draco was less than enthusiastic about the party was the fact that Ron would be in attendance.

Since Ron's display at their house a month ago neither Draco or Hermione had seen the redhead. They knew from Harry that he had been put on probation at work and that Molly and Arthur were disgusted with his behaviour. According to Harry, Ron was now sorry for his behaviour and wanted to apologise in person. Draco would have preferred never to see Ron again but Hermione had been friends with him for so long that she wanted to try and salvage something of their friendship.

Draco checked his watch, wondering what was taking Hermione so long in the bathroom. Normally Hermione could get ready quicker than him but tonight for some reason his wife was being incredibly slow in getting dressed.

"Hermione, are you nearly ready?" Draco shouted as he flicked the television off.

"I'm coming." Hermione shouted back seconds before the bathroom door opened.

Draco turned to watch Hermione enter the room. She was wearing a black and emerald dress that stopped mid-thigh with a thin black belt around her waist. She was wearing her hair loose, the brunette curls cascading down her back. Hermione was also wearing a pair of emerald green shoes with a very high heel.

"Do I look fat in this dress?" Hermione asked, smoothing down the material of her dress.

"No. You look gorgeous." Draco replied as his eyes scanned over Hermione.

"Are you sure? I'm convinced this dress is tighter than last time I wore it." Hermione said, not convinced by Draco's reassurance.

"Hermione, you're not fat. You look stunning." Draco said.

Hermione still didn't look convinced so Draco walked over to where his wife was standing and wrapped her in his arms.

"You look very sexy in that dress." Draco said, briefly kissing Hermione. "Although I'm sure you'll look even better out of it."

"Maybe you'll find out later." Hermione smiled and gave Draco a kiss before stepping out of his arms. "Come one, we're already running late."

Hermione picked up her bag before her and Draco left the bedroom and headed downstairs. Once downstairs they headed towards the fire and after checking the address of the hotel where Harry had hired the ballroom for the night they flooed to Harry's party.

Arriving at the hotel Hermione and Draco asked the receptionist where to find the ballroom and after receiving directions the couple began heading in the direction of the party.

"Why is Potter holding the party here rather than at his place?" Draco asked as him and Hermione headed towards the ballroom.

"I have no idea. Harry just said he wanted the night to be special." Hermione answered. She was very curious as to why Harry had suddenly decided to throw a party as normally he wasn't a big party person.

"Why is he even having a party?" Draco asked.

"I'm not sure." Hermione shrugged. "It's not something Harry would normally do. Personally I think there's something else going on."

"Like what?" Draco asked as they approached the ballroom. They could clearly hear music and laughter through the doors.

"I don't know. Every time Harry has spoken about the party I just got the feeling there was something he wasn't telling me."

"I suppose we'll find out soon if Potter has an ulterior motive for the party." Draco said, opening the door to the ballroom.

Hermione and Draco steeped into the large ballroom and looked around. All the Weasley's were in attendance as were several people they used to go to school with. Draco was relieved to spot Blaise at the bar as he could see a lot of former Gryffindors in the crowd and a few were already throwing him dirty looks.

Draco was about to suggest going to speak to Blaise when he spotted Harry walking towards them. Ron was following closely behind him. Draco instinctively moved closer to Hermione and wrapped his arm around her waist as her friends approached.

"Thanks for coming." Harry said, briefly hugging Hermione and shaking hands with Draco.

"Well you seemed pretty adamant that we came." Hermione said. "What's so special about tonight anyway?" She asked, hoping Harry would finally explain the reason for the party.

"You'll find out later." Harry shrugged.

Hermione was about to badger Harry some more when Ron cleared his throat and stepped in front of Hermione and Draco. Draco's grip on Hermione's waist tightened slightly and Hermione edged closer to her husband as they waited for Ron to speak.

"I'm sorry." Ron said quietly. "What I did was so wrong and I shouldn't have done it."

"No you shouldn't have, but I just want to forget about it." Hermione said. "I meant what I said that day in the café, I still want us to be friends."

"I want that as well." Ron said, relieved that Hermione was giving him a second chance.

"It's still going to take me a while to forgive you." Hermione told Ron, wanting him to know that he would have to work to regain her trust. "And if you're serious about being friends you're going to have to learn to accept Draco and our marriage."

"I can do that." Ron said, trying to control the grimace when Hermione mentioned her marriage.

Hermione noticed the look on Ron's face at her mention of Draco and their marriage. Shaking her head sadly Hermione excused her and Draco and they wandered away from her friends. Ron may have apologised and agreed to accept her marriage but Hermione knew that it would be a long time before their friendship was repaired.

After leaving Harry and Ron, Hermione and Draco headed towards the bar. However on the way they were stopped several times by former schoolmates wanting to speak with Hermione. Some people were perfectly nice to Draco while others either ignored him or glared at him. Eventually Draco left Hermione to mingle and headed towards Blaise who had been joined by George at the bar.

Draco got a drink and feel into easy conversation with Blaise and George. Since having lunch at The Burrow Draco and George had become quite good friends and often met up for a drink. Blaise had joined them on occasion and had also made friends with George easily.

Draco, George and Blaise spoke for a while before Blaise started getting distracted. After asking his friend the same question for the third time and not getting a response Draco tried to work out what was distracting Blaise so much. George had also noticed Blaise's wandering attention and pointed out to Draco what, or more precisely who, was bothering the former Slytherin.

"So Blaise, how are things going with Luna?" George asked as Blaise struggled to tear his eyes away from the ditzy blonde girl.

"Slowly." Blaise said, dragging his attention back to his friends. "I have to ask numerous times before she even agrees to a date."

"I thought you'd been out together a few times." Draco said. He had been under the impression that Blaise and Luna had shared several dates since the party at his house.

"We have." Blaise nodded. "She just makes me work for every date."

"Is she really worth all that hassle?" George asked.

"Yes. She's pretty amazing." Blaise said with a smile.

"Aw, someone's in love." George teased.

"Not yet." Blaise shrugged, turning his attention back to Luna who was talking with Ginny and Hermione.

George and Draco shared a shocked look. From what Blaise was saying and the tone of his voice he was clearly serious about pursuing a relationship with Luna. Draco and George tried engaging Blaise in conversation again but gave up when it became obvious he was too concerned with watching Luna across the room.

Across the room Luna stood with Hermione and Ginny slyly watching Blaise from the corner of her eye. Luna had noticed Blaise watching her several times but didn't want him to notice that she was aware of him watching her.

"Looks like you've got a fan, Luna." Ginny said, noticing Blaise's constant attention on Luna.

"Really, I hadn't noticed." Luna shrugged.

Hermione laughed at Luna's attempt to appear nonchalant regarding Blaise. She had been watching Luna sneak looks at the former Slytherin for the past ten minutes.

"You've been watching Blaise for ages. Why don't you just go over to him?" Hermione asked.

"I'm playing hard to get." Luna admitted.

"Why? You clearly like him and it looks like he likes you." Ginny was slightly bemused with Luna's answer.

"I do like him, but he does have a bit of a reputation with women. Before I get too involved I want to make sure he's serious and not just after a quick fling." Luna explained her cautious attitude towards Blaise to Ginny and Hermione.

"According to Draco he really likes you." Hermione told Luna.

Luna smiled broadly at Hermione's words. She was beginning to really like Blaise but was nervous about his vast experience with girls compared with her total lack of experience with boys. The extent of Luna's romantic experience was some light flirting with one of her best friends, Neville Longbottom.

"I think we should go and talk to him." Ginny said, grabbing Luna's hand and leading her towards the bar.

Hermione rolled her eyes at Ginny's pushiness and followed her friends to the bar. The moment they arrived Ginny gently pushed Luna towards Blaise and suggested the pair go and dance. At Ginny's piercing glare Blaise quickly whisked Luna onto the dance floor.

"Subtle as ever, Gin." George laughed.

"It worked didn't it." Ginny said, nodding towards Luna and Blaise who were dancing very close together.

As George and Ginny discussed the couple on the dance floor Hermione moved so she was standing next to Draco. Draco wrapped his arm around his wife and gave her a quick kiss. Hermione stood wrapped in Draco's arms as she listened to George and Ginny discuss the possibility of a serious relationship developing between Blaise and Luna.

The debate was cut short a few minutes later as the music suddenly stopped and Harry appeared on the stage at the front of the room.

"Sorry to interrupt the fun but it's time to reveal the real reason for the party." Harry addressed his friends and family who had all turned to look at him. "Ginny could you come up here please."

Ginny stood frozen until George elbowed her in the back, forcing her to move. Slowly Ginny made her way to the stage, every eye in the room following her progress.

"What are you doing?" Ginny hissed to Harry as she arrived on the stage next to him.

Harry ignored the question and merely smiled at his girlfriend. "Ginny we have been through a lot together and you have supported me and believed in me ever since we met. I love you so much and want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you. Ginny, will you marry me?"

By the end of his speech Harry was kneeling in front of Ginny holding out a ring box. The whole of the ballroom watched as Ginny gasped in surprise as she looked at Harry in front of her.

"Yes." Ginny cried, suddenly launching herself at Harry.

The room filled with cheers as Harry and Ginny embraced on the stage before Harry slipped the ring on Ginny's finger. Immediately the happy couple were surrounded by people congratulating them. Slowly Harry and Ginny made their way through the crowds to the bar where Hermione, Draco and George were still standing.

Hermione hugged both Harry and Ginny, thrilled for her friends. George hugged his sister and warned Harry not to hurt her before he also gave Harry a quick hug. Draco pecked Ginny on the cheek before he shook hands with Harry, offering the happy couple his congratulations.

After Harry's proposal the celebrations went on several hours. Molly and Arthur were the first to leave but most people stayed on for a while longer. The only other early exit's belonged to Ron and Percy. Ron was still finding it difficult to watch Hermione and Draco together so he left before he said something he would later regret. Percy meanwhile claimed he had to be up early for work and left with his girlfriend, Penelope Clearwater.

By the time Hermione and Draco decided to leave the party, at nearly midnight, it was still in full swing. George and his girlfriend, Angelina Johnson, were getting frisky on the dance floor and had been told several times to get a room. Seamus Finnegan, Dean Thomas and Neville were participating in a drinking game that was getting progressively louder. Ginny and Harry were in their own little world, totally oblivious at what was going on around them as they revelled in the feeling of being newly engaged.

After saying goodbye to Harry and Ginny, Hermione and Draco headed towards the public fireplaces so they could floo home. They arrived just in time to see Luna and Blaise, locked in a passionate looking embrace, stumble into one of the fireplaces and floo to Blaise's flat. The couple followed after their friends, heading into the green flames and flooing home.

Once they returned home Hermione and Draco headed straight towards their bedroom. Draco headed into the bathroom while Hermione removed her jewellery and make up. Hermione was pleased to remove her dress as she had been uncomfortable all night, the dress was definitely tighter then the last time she wore it in Rome.

"I told you you'd look better out of the dress." Draco said, entering the bedroom to find Hermione standing in her underwear.

"I'm sure you're slightly biased." Hermione said.

"No, just honest." Draco said, walking over to Hermione. "I told you last Halloween that you're gorgeous and it's still true."

Hermione smiled at the mention of the previous year, she had wondered whether Draco would remember it had been exactly a year since their relationship became intimate. Hermione couldn't believe it had been a year already, she could still clearly remember the nerves she had felt standing naked in front of Draco for the first time.

"You wouldn't believe how nervous I was that night." Draco said, brushing some hair out of Hermione's face.

"Why were you nervous?" Hermione asked. She was trying to remember Draco showing any kind of nerves that night but he seemed perfectly at ease in all of her memories.

"Because I wanted that night to be special for you."

"It was special." Hermione said, gently kissing Draco. "It was one of the best nights of my life."

"If it was that good we could always re-create it." Draco grinned before picking Hermione up and carrying her to the bed.

Draco placed Hermione in the centre of their bed before lying down beside her.

"I'm sure we could add a few extra's as well." Hermione said, pulling Draco towards her.

"I'm sure we could." Draco muttered, his hands wandering over Hermione's nearly naked body as they set about re-creating their first night together.


	31. A Malfoy Family Dinner

As the film on the television drew to a close Draco wondered whether he should wake his wife. Hermione was currently curled up beside him on the sofa, her head in his lap. Originally Hermione had been reading but the book was now lying discarded beside her.

The couple were due at the Manor for dinner in a few hours but Draco was debating cancelling despite it being his parents wedding anniversary. Since Lucius had agreed to accept Hermione as Draco's wife the entire Malfoy family had shared three meals together and Draco was pleased that with each meeting the tense atmosphere between his father and wife was abating.

Draco looked down at his sleeping wife, brushing her hair from her face as he thought about how pale she was. Hermione had been feeling unwell for the past few days and had actually been sick several times. Draco had tried to convince her to go and see a healer but Hermione insisted she was just tired after the hectic few months they had endured.

Draco thought that maybe Hermione had a point about being tired. In the last two and a half months since returning from honeymoon they had constantly been busy. They had set up their own business, which had been very time consuming and even now required a lot of work. They had also moved into their new house, which Hermione had insisted they sort the muggle way. Several times Draco had suggested they use magic to get the house in order but Hermione was adamant about doing things the muggle way. Draco hadn't argued too much as he'd understood that Hermione had being brought up without magic and she didn't want magic to define her life as she cherished her muggle heritage.

Draco checked the time and decided he had another half hour or so to decide whether to wake Hermione or to cancel dinner and let her sleep. Draco turned the television over and settled down to watch it for a while although after a few minutes he found himself watching Hermione instead. Draco was just wondering how to get up without disturbing Hermione when his wife began to wake up.

"How are you feeling?" He asked as Hermione opened her eyes.

"Better." Hermione replied, sitting up and stretching.

"Good. Are you feeling up for dinner with my parents or do you want me to cancel?"

"I'm fine." Hermione insisted. Lucius had only just accepted her as part of Draco's life so she had no intention on cancelling and giving the older wizard something to resent her for.

Hermione stood up and stretched a bit more. "I should go and have a shower."

"Do you want any help?" Draco asked suggestively.

"I think I can manage on my own." Hermione said dispelling any hopes Draco had of joining his wife in the shower.

Hermione laughed slightly at Draco's disappointed expression before she left her husband alone in the front room as she headed upstairs. Draco watched Hermione leave before he turned back to the television. Draco watched television for a while longer before he turned it off and headed upstairs to get ready himself.

When Draco arrived in the bedroom Hermione was sitting at her dressing table doing her make-up. Draco headed for the bathroom and had a quick shower before he returned to the bedroom to get dressed. While Draco quickly pulled a shirt and trousers from the large walk-in wardrobe he noticed that Hermione had several dresses spread across their bed.

As he dressed Draco watched as Hermione picked up and discarded several dresses. Eventually she decided on a long blue dress and quickly slipped it on. Hermione then added her jewellery before she checked to see if Draco was dressed.

"Are you ready?" She asked, slipping on her shoes.

"Yes. You look beautiful by the way." Draco said, grabbing Hermione's hand and pulling her towards him.

"Thank you." Hermione smiled and gave Draco a quick kiss before the couple left their bedroom. Hermione and Draco headed directly to the front room where they then flooed to Malfoy Manor.

Arriving at Malfoy Manor Hermione and Draco were greeted by Lucius and Narcissa. Lucius politely asked how Hermione was keeping before engaging Draco in conversation, leaving his wife to talk to Hermione.

Hermione didn't mind being stuck talking with her mother-in-law. Over the last few weeks Hermione had grown fond of Narcissa. Narcissa was always interested in Hermione and her life and had begun to ask her daughter-in-law's opinions on various aspects of her own life. The two women had even met for lunch a couple of times and Narcissa had a list of things she wanted to do with Hermione.

As much as Narcissa loved Draco she had always wanted a daughter and now Hermione was in their lives she finally had a daughter to spend time with. Hermione was also enjoying having another mother figure in her life. While Molly was homely and nurturing Narcissa reminded Hermione more of her own mother. Hermione and her mother had always enjoyed a close relationship and would often spend time shopping and having lunch when she was home from Hogwarts. It was this sort of relationship that Hermione was developing with Narcissa and it often reminded her of the happy times she spent with her mother.

Nearly half an hour after arriving at the Manor an elf appeared and announced dinner was ready. Hermione had accepted that the elves at the Manor were treated fairly after she had slipped into the kitchens and spoken to them on an earlier visit.

As dinner began the conversation flowed quite smoothly. Lucius even asked Hermione a few questions and seemed genuinely interested in her answers. While the conversation was flowing more easily than it had the previous visit Draco noticed that Hermione was barely eating her salad.

Draco didn't get a chance to check if Hermione was okay before the elves appeared to clear away the dishes and to serve the main course. As soon as the main course was served Draco noticed that Hermione went very pale and looked seriously ill.

"Excuse me." Hermione muttered, leaving the table and rushing out of the room.

"She hasn't been very well this past week." Draco explained to his parents who were both looking concerned by Hermione's sudden departure. "I should go and check on her."

Draco left the dining room and headed towards the bathroom that was situated on the ground floor. Draco could hear Hermione inside so he waited a few minutes until the door opened and his wife emerged looking pale.

"Are you alright, honey?" Draco asked concerned about Hermione.

"I'm fine. The smell of the fish was really overpowering and it made me feel ill." Hermione said.

"Do you want to go home? I'm sure mother and father will understand."

"I'm fine now. We should stay." Hermione insisted as the nausea had passed again.

"Fine. But you're going to see a healer on Monday if you're still unwell." Draco said as the couple began to make their way back to the dining room.

Hermione nodded in agreement, not having the energy to argue the point when she was beginning to think Draco was right about it being time to visit the healer.

"Are you alright dear?" Narcissa asked as Hermione and Draco re-entered the dining room.

"Yes. Sorry for the interruption." Hermione said, slightly embarrassed by her hasty exit.

"We can do this another time if you're ill." Lucius offered, noticing how pale Hermione still looked.

"That's alright, I'm feeling much better now." Hermione said to Lucius as she sat back down.

Lucius looked like he was about to argue but Draco subtly shook his head at his father, telling him to not argue with Hermione. Lucius took the hint and casually changed the subject. Draco was pleased that his father didn't harass Hermione into going home. While Draco would have preferred to take Hermione home he knew his wife was very stubborn and wouldn't want to leave unless she decided to do so.

For the rest of the meal Hermione felt all three Malfoy's keeping an eye on her. Despite no-one speaking about earlier Hermione knew everyone was making sure she didn't feel ill again. Luckily after her trip to the bathroom earlier Hermione felt much better and she even managed to eat a little bit of dinner, although she avoided the fish.

After dinner Lucius took Draco to his study as he wanted his son's advice on one of his business dealings. While the two men were busy talking business Narcissa and Hermione went into the front room where Narcissa showed Hermione some old family photographs.

As Narcissa was showing Hermione pictures of Draco as a baby Hermione couldn't help but think the older witch was making the most of having Hermione alone. If Draco was in the room there was no way he would have allowed his mother to pass around his baby pictures.

After they had finished with the pictures of Draco's childhood Narcissa returned the albums to the chest where she kept them. As Narcissa was putting the albums away Hermione spotted Lucius and Narcissa's wedding album and asked if she could have a look. Narcissa readily agreed and handed Hermione the album.

Hermione flicked through the album noticing how happy Draco's parents looked. Hermione also realised what a stunning looking couple they were when they let themselves relax. Hermione had seen glimpses of the relaxed Narcissa in the last few weeks but had never seen Lucius as relaxed.

As Hermione finished looking through the album and handed it back to Narcissa she suddenly realised that she had no pictures of her own wedding. Hermione and Draco had been far too excited about getting married to think about simple things like taking pictures. While the memories of the day were very vivid it wasn't the same as having pictures to look back on. As Hermione was thinking about the absence of wedding pictures she suddenly realised that her and Draco had never taken any pictures together. They'd now been together for nearly fourteen months and never once taken a picture of themselves as a couple.

Hermione didn't have time to dwell on the fact that her and Draco had no photos of their lives together as her husband and father-in-law returned to the front room. Draco sat down next to Hermione and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

"Are you okay?" He asked quietly.

Hermione nodded and settled herself in Draco's embrace. Draco looked at his wife for a while before he answered a question his mother had just asked him. Draco kept an eye on Hermione for the rest of the night, while she was still pale she now looked upset as well. Draco wondered what her and Narcissa had been doing but decided to wait until they got home to ask Hermione what was really bothering her.

After staying at the Manor for another hour or so Draco decided to was time for him and Hermione to leave for the night. After saying goodbye to Lucius and Narcissa the couple flooed home where Draco insisted Hermione go straight to bed. Surprisingly Hermione agreed without argument and headed upstairs leaving Draco to make her a hot drink.

After making himself a coffee and a green tea for Hermione, Draco headed upstairs with the two cups. When he arrived in the bedroom Hermione was still in the bathroom so Draco put her tea on her bedside table while he sat on a chair with his own drink.

Hermione emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later and climbed into bed. Draco could tell just by what Hermione was wearing for bed that his wife was still feeling unwell. Normally Hermione's nightwear consisted of tiny shorts teamed with strappy tops or short negligees but Hermione was currently wearing long pyjama bottoms teamed with one of Draco's t-shirts.

"How are you feeling now?" Draco asked, moving to sit beside Hermione on the bed.

"Tired." Hermione said, sipping at her green tea. "But at least the nausea has passed for now."

"That's good. Maybe by Monday you'll be feeling better and won't need to go to the healer."

"I hope so." Hermione said. She wasn't keen on going to see a healer as he would most likely tell her to rest and she was far too busy to take time off work.

"What were you and mother doing after dinner?" Draco asked. "You looked upset when we returned to the room."

"We were just looking at old photos." Hermione said.

"Don't tell me mother got out my baby pictures." Draco groaned.

"Yes. All of them." Hermione said with a smile. "You were a cute baby."

Draco rolled his eyes at Hermione. "So what else did you do apart from look at embarrassing pictures of me? Surely they weren't that upsetting."

Hermione sighed, knowing she would have to tell Draco what was bothering her. "I also looked at your parents wedding album and it made me realise we don't have any pictures of our wedding."

Draco felt terrible as Hermione admitted what was bothering her. In all the excitement of getting married he hadn't thought about organising some photographs of the day. "I'm sorry, Hermione. I never thought about pictures."

"It's not your fault. I didn't remember about photos either." Hermione reassured Draco, not wanting him to blame himself.

"I still should have thought about it." Draco sighed, wishing there was something he could do to fix the fact they had no photos of the happiest day of their lives.

"There's nothing we can do about it now." Hermione shrugged, stifling a yawn as she spoke. "We'll just have to make up for it in the future and take plenty of pictures of other events in our lives."

"We will." Draco said, getting off the bed. "You should get some sleep now."

Hermione snuggled down in the bed while Draco gathered the two empty cups. Draco kissed his wife before turning the light off and leaving the room. Heading back downstairs for a few hours Draco once again cursed the fact he had forgotten pictures of their wedding and wondered if there was any way he could make it up to Hermione.


	32. Pictures and Pregnancy

On Monday afternoon Draco waited until Hermione had left for her appointment with the healer before he informed his secretary he was leaving for the day. Draco had offered to go with his wife to the healer but Hermione insisted she was fine so Draco decided to use the opportunity to go and speak with his father.

Since Hermione had mentioned their lack of wedding pictures Draco had spent his time trying to find something he could do to fix the situation. The idea he was currently thinking about had only occurred to him earlier that morning but he was unsure if it would work. Draco had decided the best thing to do would be to go and speak with his father, if the plan worked he would have to ask his father for help anyway.

After informing his secretary of his plans to leave Draco used the fire in his office to floo to the Manor. Arriving at his childhood home Draco headed straight for his father's study. After knocking and being told to enter Draco headed into his father's study.

"Draco what are you doing here?" Lucius asked in surprise. He hadn't expected to see his son so soon after they had dinner together over the weekend.

"I'm hoping you can help me with something." Draco said. "Do you know if you can take photographs from memories in pensieve's?"

"I have no idea." Lucius frowned. "Why would you want to take pictures in a pensieve?"

"Hermione realised the other day that we didn't take any pictures of our wedding." Draco said, beginning to explain the situation.

"And you're thinking of reliving the memory and taking pictures of the day." Lucius interrupted, suddenly understanding exactly what Draco's plan was.

"Yes." Draco nodded. "I'm not sure if it'll even work but it's worth a try. Hermione would be thrilled if I managed to get some pictures."

"We can certainly try." Lucius said. "Have you brought a camera?"

Draco shook his head sheepishly. He had totally forgotten the fact he would need a camera for his idea.

"Sometimes you're so disorganised." Lucius tutted at his son. "Go and ask your mother if you can borrow hers, she has a good camera."

While Lucius got his pensieve out and placed it on his desk Draco went to find Narcissa. When he found his mother Draco had to explain what he was planning before she would hand over her camera. Narcissa thought that what Draco was doing was lovely and she made her son promise to come and find her after he had the pictures.

When Draco returned to his father's study Lucius was already set up and waiting for him to return.

"All you need is the memory." Lucius said. "I think the clearer the memory the more chance you have for this to work."

Draco knew he didn't have to worry about having a clear memory of his wedding day, he could remember every detail of the amazing day when Hermione became his wife. Draco pulled out his wand and carefully removed the memory from his head and placing the silvery strand into the waiting pensieve.

"Are you coming?" Draco asked his father.

"You want me to come?" Lucius asked. He had thought that Draco would be going alone.

"If you want to." Draco shrugged. Despite Lucius accepting Hermione as his wife Draco still thought that witnessing their wedding might help his father realise just how much they loved each other.

"I'd love to come with you." Lucius said, eager to witness what sort of wedding his son had had.

Pleased with his father's response Draco plunged into the pensieve, landing feet first in the memory of his wedding day. As Draco got the camera ready and tried to decide the best place to take pictures from Lucius landed next to him.

"Nice view." Lucius said, looking at Paris from the rooftop garden.

Draco mumbled a response as he positioned himself into a place where he figured he would get the best pictures. As Draco worried about pictures Lucius turned his attention to Draco's memory, watching as his son paced the floor nervously. Lucius stood off to the side as he prepared to watch his son's wedding.

As Kingsley announced Hermione's arrival Draco positioned himself to begin taking pictures. From the moment Hermione emerged into the garden Draco set about taking plenty of pictures. As he took the pictures Draco really hoped his plan worked and they developed okay. He had managed to get some brilliant pictures, all very natural as there was no posing involved.

While Draco busied himself taking photos Lucius watched Draco and Hermione get married. It was evident to Lucius how much Draco and Hermione loved each other, in fact Lucius had never seen Draco as happy. As Lucius watched the wedding ceremony followed by the bonding ceremony he wished that things could have been different. Narcissa would have loved to see Draco get married. Lucius knew that it was his fault that Draco and Hermione had felt they had to elope, if he had been a better father to Draco then maybe his son would have been able to approach him and talk to him about his relationship.

Once the two ceremonies were over and Draco and Hermione had said goodbye to Kingsley and McGonagall the memory ended and Draco and Lucius found themselves back in Lucius' study. As Draco went to retrieve the memory from the pensieve Lucius stopped him.

"Could I keep the memory please?" Lucius asked. "Your mother would love to see your wedding day."

"Sure." Draco nodded.

Lucius retrieved an empty vial from a cupboard and removed Draco's memory from the pensieve. Once the memory was bottled Lucius walked over to a large painting on the back wall. Swinging the painting to one side he revealed a safe with a magical lock. Once the safe was unlocked Lucius placed the vial inside the safe alongside several other bottles of memories. Most of the memories in the safe involved Narcissa and Draco and Lucius had viewed them a lot since he had returned from Azkaban.

After securing the memory in the safe, Lucius turned to Draco. "Should we go and see if the pictures worked?"

Draco nodded and the two men headed towards the dark room. While he was growing up Draco often wondered why the Manor had a dark room but Lucius merely told him that it was wise to be prepared for any eventuality. Draco was now glad that his father felt it necessary to have rooms that he barely used.

Once in the dark room Draco was surprised to find that Lucius knew exactly what he was doing, obviously he had used the dark room in the past. Lucius quickly took control of developing the pictures, ordering Draco to fetch him various potions and chemicals. Draco followed his father's orders as Lucius began developing the first picture.

"It's not going to work, it's all faded." Draco sighed once the first picture was done. The outlines of people were present in the picture but there was no real detail on show.

"I think I just need to adjust the developing potion." Lucius said, examining the picture. "The basics are there but the details need bringing out."

Lucius set about changing his potions measurements as they tried another picture. After ten minutes of trial and error with the developer potion Lucius handed Draco a perfect picture of him and Hermione exchanging their vows.

"It works." Draco said, happy with the result. "Thank you so much."

"It's my pleasure." Lucius said, pleased he could do something to make Draco happy. "You can call it my wedding present to you and Hermione."

Lucius turned back to his work and the two men continued to develop the pictures for another hour. After finishing the pictures Draco thanked his father again before he went in search of his mother.

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Hermione sat in the waiting room of the Healer's office as she waited to be recalled. She had already had her appointment but the Healer had decided to run some tests and had asked her to wait fifteen minutes while they processed the results. Hermione was trying to convince herself she was just run down and there was nothing seriously wrong with her but the waiting was starting to make her anxious.

"Mrs Malfoy, you can go back in now." The receptionist called over to Hermione.

Hermione thanked the receptionist and made her way back into the Healer's office. When Hermione re-entered the office the Healer was already sitting behind his desk looking over her test results. Hermione settled down in a chair and waited for the Healer to speak.

"I have your test results here." The Healer said. "Congratulations Mrs Malfoy, you're pregnant."

Hermione's eyes widened in shock. "Pregnant. Are you sure? I take a contraceptive potion each month."

"Yes, I'm sure." The Healer nodded. "You're ten weeks pregnant."

Hermione did the maths in her head, it was the second week of November so ten weeks previously had been the beginning of September. Hermione remembered how hectic things were in early September, they had only just arrived back off honeymoon and were dealing with informing their friends and family about their marriage. Hermione tried to remember if she had taken her potion on the right day but she honestly couldn't remember and she knew there was a real possibility she had taken it slightly later as she was so distracted.

"I think I may have taken my potion late in September. I usually take it on the first of every month but I honestly don't know what date I took it, things were pretty hectic back then." Hermione admitted, wondering if taking the potion two or three days later than normal would make a difference.

"That'll be when the baby was conceived then." The Healer explained. "We can tell you the exact date of when the baby was conceived at your twelve weeks scan, if you want."

Hermione nodded before a thought occurred to her. "I've been taking the potion since then. Has it hurt the baby?" She was suddenly worried she may have unintentionally put her unborn child in danger.

"No. The contraception potion is designed so it won't harm an unborn child. I would of course recommend you stop taking the potion now."

"Of course. What happens now?" Hermione was really unsure of what happened next. She had obviously never been pregnant and the only knowledge she had was of muggle pregnancies and she was worried that magical pregnancies would be different.

"I refer you to St. Mungo's. You'll be assigned a Maternity Healer and they'll send you an appointment to visit the hospital. The Healer will then schedule scans and check-ups throughout your pregnancy." The Healer explained, smiling warmly at Hermione. "All the Healers are really good so if you have any questions just ask and they'll be happy to help you."

"Thank you." Hermione said, standing up.

"I'll send your referral today so you'll probably get a letter sometime this week for your first appointment." The Healer said.

Hermione left the Healer's office in a daze and flooed home as she tried to digest the surprising news she had just received.

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Hermione was in the kitchen making dinner when Draco arrived home. Draco placed a wrapped gift box on the coffee table in the front room and headed into the kitchen to see his wife. Draco stood in the doorway watching Hermione stirring the pasta sauce for a few minutes before he walked over to his wife and wrapped his arms around her.

"Hi, gorgeous. How did things go with the healer?" Draco asked, softly kissing Hermione's neck.

"Fine." Hermione said. She had decided to wait until after dinner before she told Draco about the baby. "How was work this afternoon?"

"I don't know, I left early." Draco said.

"Why?" Hermione questioned.

"Because I had something important to do."

Hermione wriggled out of Draco's embrace and turned to face her husband, wondering what he was up to. Before she had a chance to question him Draco cast a few charms on the half cooked food to stop it from burning and took hold of her hand.

"Come and see what I've been doing." He said, pulling Hermione out of the kitchen.

Hermione let Draco lead her into the front room where he sat her on the sofa before picking up a wrapped box that sat on the table.

"Mother and Father both helped." Draco said, handing Hermione the box and sitting down next to her.

Hermione looked at the box curiously before she carefully tore into the neatly wrapped present. Once the paper was off she found herself holding a cream box with a lavender ribbon across the top corner. Hermione lifted the lid and stared at what she was seeing, not sure what was going on. In the box lay a silver photo album with the words 'Wedding Memories' written in elegant ruby script.

"What is this?" Hermione asked.

"Open it and see." Draco said with a grin.

Hermione lifted the album out of the box and opened it at the first page, her mouth dropping open in shock when she saw the picture. The picture showed her walking down the aisle towards Draco on their wedding day. Hermione flicked through the rest of the album finding it full of pictures of her and Draco's wedding.

"How did you do this?" Hermione asked, amazed by the photos of her wedding day.

"I used a pensieve to relive the memory and take photos. Father fixed the developing potion so that they came out perfectly." Draco explained.

"Your father helped you do this?" Hermione asked.

"Yes. I would never have been able to develop the photo's without him." Draco said.

"Wow." Hermione was still shocked that Lucius would help Draco create something so wonderful for her. " When you gave me the box you said your mother also helped, what did Narcissa do?"

"First of all she lent me her camera to take the pictures." Draco said. "But when I told her what I was doing she went and bought the album and then she helped me arrange the photos and pick the best ones to go in the album."

Earlier at the Manor after he finished with his father Draco had gone in search of Narcissa. When he found his mother she had given him the album and helped him sort everything so that it was perfect.

"Thank you for going to so much trouble." Hermione said, placing the album on the coffee table and hugging her husband. "I love it."

"I'm glad. I was worried that it wouldn't work as good as posed pictures would." Draco said.

"It's much better." Hermione said. "The pictures are more genuine."

"As long as you're happy." Draco said, kissing Hermione and standing up.

"Where are you going?" Hermione asked. She had decided to tell Draco about the baby now since dinner was on hold and they were already seated.

"To get changed." Draco replied.

"Can you wait. There's something I want to tell you." Hermione said, suddenly worrying about Draco's reaction to her news. When they had discussed children they had decided it was something for the future and Hermione was unsure if Draco would be happy with having a baby so soon.

"There's nothing wrong is there?" Draco asked, sensing Hermione's nerves. "You're not seriously ill are you?"

"No, I'm not ill." Hermione reassured Draco who had sat back down beside her. "I'm pregnant."

Draco stared at Hermione in shock for several minutes. Hermione bit her bottom lip nervously as she waited for a reaction from Draco, so far he just seemed stunned. Draco looked at Hermione for a bit longer before a large smile appeared on his face.

"That's brilliant." He grinned once he had recovered from the shock.

"Are you sure?" Hermione asked. "It took you a long time to react."

"Yes, it was just a really big shock." Draco said.

"So you're really happy?" Hermione asked with a small smile.

Draco responded by leaning over and kissing Hermione deeply. Pulling away slightly Draco looked into Hermione's eyes before he spoke. "Yes, I'm happy. My wife, who I love more than anything, is having my baby. I'm ecstatic."

Hermione smiled broadly and pulled Draco into another kiss. After several minutes they parted and Draco started asking questions about the pregnancy. As Hermione and Draco discussed their news their dinner was forgotten as they got caught up in the excitement of becoming parents for the first time.

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**A/N - I don't know if it's possible to take pictures in a pensieve, but that's the beauty of writing your own story, you can do whatever you like. **

**The next chapter is the last one but I am considering a sequel if people are interested.**


	33. Sharing the Good News

**A/N - I've been overwhelmed by the huge support this story has received and would like to thank everyone who has followed/favourited/reviewed. After the positive reaction to the possibility of a sequel it is very likely I will be doing one, although it won't be for a while as I am currently writing two new stories that I'm hoping to start publishing soon. I think the sequel will be set a few months after this story ends and will mainly deal with Hermione and Draco's life as new parents. If there is anything in particular people want to see happen or any particular people they want to be more involved in the story feel free to let me know, all ideas are most welcome. Enjoy the last chapter!**

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After much discussion Draco and Hermione decided to wait until after their first appointment at St Mungo's before telling anyone of Hermione's pregnancy. After their first appointment they once again decided to put off telling people, instead deciding to wait until after the twelve week scan.

Nearly a week after having the scan Draco and Hermione were finally preparing to tell people their news. Ideally they wanted to tell everyone who was important in their lives together but Lucius' house arrest made things difficult. Lucius couldn't leave the Manor while Hermione knew the Weasley's would refuse to go to Draco's childhood home. After much deliberation Hermione and Draco decided to visit Draco's parents first and then head to The Burrow as they shared their happy news. They had also planned on visiting Kingsley and McGonagall the following day to inform them of the news as well.

Since it was a Sunday Hermione knew that the whole Weasley family would be at The Burrow. Draco had even spoken to George and asked him to make sure Blaise and Luna were invited to The Burrow so they would be present for the news. George had immediately questioned what Draco was up to so Draco was forced to confess what was happening, although he made George promise not to tell anyone. George was happy for his friends and reassured Draco that he would keep the secret and ensure Blaise and Luna were at The Burrow on Sunday afternoon.

After lunch Draco and Hermione got ready to visit his parents. Hermione was particularly nervous, although Lucius had accepted her as Draco's wife she was still unsure if he was ready to deal with the reality of half-blood grandchildren.

"It'll be fine." Draco said, walking up behind Hermione who was standing in front of the mirror in the bedroom.

"Do you think so?" Hermione asked nervously.

"Yes. Mother will be thrilled." Draco replied.

"What about your father? I doubt he'll be happy about the end of the pureblood Malfoy line."

Draco turned Hermione around so that he could look at her properly. "Father knew this would happen one day. By accepting you he accepted the fact his grandchildren wouldn't be purebloods."

"I hope so." Hermione said, leaning into Draco who wrapped her in a hug.

While Hermione was hoping their news wouldn't cause fresh problems with Lucius, Draco was confident his father would be happy for them. Between witnessing their wedding in the pensieve and Hermione's passionate display when trying to persuade him not to disown his son Lucius was changing his opinion on Hermione, something that Draco was very aware of.

After reassuring Hermione a bit longer Draco announced it was time to visit the Manor. Reluctantly steeping out of Draco's embrace Hermione grabbed her bag and followed Draco out of the bedroom. Once downstairs the couple flooed to the Manor to find Lucius and Narcissa already waiting for them.

Lucius greeted both Draco and Hermione warmly, even checking that Hermione was feeling better than last time she was at the Manor. Narcissa was her normal affectionate self and gave both Draco and Hermione a warm hug before ushering them into seats.

"What's going on?" Narcissa asked, perching on the edge of her seat. Ever since Draco had requested the meeting she had been curious as to what her son and daughter-in-law wanted to discuss.

"Hermione and I have something to tell you both." Draco said, taking hold of Hermione's hand as he spoke. "We're having a baby."

Narcissa squealed in delight before rushing over and embracing the couple. The thought of her first grandchild had the usually composed witch feeling very giddy. After Narcissa finished congratulating Hermione and Draco and returned to her seat everyone's attention focused on a silent Lucius.

Lucius was pleased that Narcissa had reacted immediately as it gave him time to digest the news. Lucius was surprised to find he was thrilled at the prospect of becoming a grandfather and he had no reservations about Hermione bearing the child. Since deciding to accept Hermione as Draco's wife Lucius had done a lot of soul searching and he had finally admitted to himself that Hermione was a good match for Draco. Despite not being a pureblood she had plenty of other admirable qualities; she was extremely intelligent, she showed great bravery, even in the face of immense danger, she was fiercely loyal and most importantly she clearly loved Draco very much.

As everyone watched Lucius waiting for his reaction a smile started to form on his face. "That's great news. Congratulations." He said.

"Thank you." Draco said, pleased he had been right about his father's reaction.

"So when can I expect my grandson?" Lucius asked, specifically looking at Hermione.

"The baby's due the beginning of June. But I wouldn't get your hopes up about a boy, I could just as easily have a girl." Hermione told her father-in-law.

"First born Malfoy's are always boys." Lucius said, dismissing Hermione's theory of having a girl.

"My family was heavily dominated by girls. My father was the first male born in his family for generations and my mother's family was very female orientated." Hermione said.

"And then there's the fact I'm one of three girls in my family." Narcissa added gleefully. "I think it's safe to say there's no guarantee this baby's a boy."

"You lot can think what you like." Lucius said dismissively. "But I'm telling you, it's a boy."

Narcissa laughed at her husband before bombarding Hermione and Draco questions about the baby. Hermione and Draco stayed at the Manor for an hour talking happily about the baby before it was time for the couple to head to The Burrow. As Draco and Hermione were leaving Hermione was shocked when Lucius gave her a brief hug.

"Just so you know, I'd love a girl just as much as a boy." Lucius whispered as he hugged Hermione.

Hermione smiled at Lucius, thrilled that he really had accepted her as part of the family. Draco wondered what had been said between his wife and father but before he had a chance to ask about the exchange Hermione dragged him to the fireplace and they flooed to The Burrow.

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Sunday afternoon at The Burrow was as hectic as normal. The entire family was in residence and it was very crowded and noisy when Hermione and Draco arrived. Since it was early December it was too cold for everyone to be outdoors so most people were crammed into the house, only a hardened few were outside playing Quidditch. Hermione was pleased to see both Blaise and Luna were at The Burrow and that they seemed to be having fun.

Since the Halloween party Blaise and Luna had been inseparable. At work Blaise had mentioned Luna several times and Hermione was getting the impression that Draco's friend was seriously falling for the blonde witch. Hermione got the same impression whenever she spoke to Luna as she would often speak glowingly of the flirty wizard.

When they first entered the house Hermione had planned on telling Molly there was something they wanted to talk to everyone about but the moment they exited the fireplace Ginny came rushing over to Hermione and dragged her away.

"We've set a date for the wedding." Ginny said excitedly. "And I want to ask you to be chief bridesmaid."

"I'd love to." Hermione said. "When's the wedding?"

"July 31st." Ginny said. "A lovely summer wedding."

"That sounds great Gin." Hermione smiled at her friend, remembering how excited she had been in the lead up to her own wedding. "Do you know where you're having the ceremony?"

"Yes, we've booked this lovely old hotel nearby." Ginny practically bounced with excitement as she told Hermione all about the fantastic venue her and Molly had found.

Hermione and Ginny spoke about wedding plans for nearly half an hour before Hermione spotted Draco talking with Molly. Almost immediately Molly shouted out for everyone to gather in the front room. While everyone was gathering in the front room, including those playing Quidditch who were grumbling at the interruption, Draco wandered over to Hermione and grabbed her hand.

"Are you alright?" Hermione whispered to her nervous husband who managed to nod in response. While Hermione had been more worried about Lucius' reaction Draco was more concerned by the reaction of Hermione's surrogate family.

"What's going on?" Ron questioned, annoyed that his Quidditch game had been interrupted.

"Hermione and Draco have something to say." Molly said, silently warning Ron to behave. Despite Ron apologising for what he had tried to do to Hermione and Draco, Molly was still unhappy with her son and his behaviour.

Everyone turned to look at the beaming couple, waiting for their announcement.

"Draco and I are having a baby." Hermione announced.

There was an immediate break out of noise as Hermione and Draco found themselves surrounded by everyone as they congratulated them. While Hermione was receiving plenty of hugs and kisses from the women, Draco was mainly getting handshake and pats on the back from the men. It was only when everyone stepped back that they realised that Ron was standing frozen in the corner.

Everyone waited for Ron to react but he merely stared at Hermione and Draco for several seconds. When he did finally move Ron turned and headed into the kitchen before the familiar sound of apparition was clearly heard coming from the kitchen. Everyone looked slightly stunned by Ron's abrupt departure.

"Ignore Ron. We're all thrilled for you." Ginny said, breaking the silence.

At Ginny's words everyone else reiterated how happy they were for the couple. Within minutes the noisy atmosphere was back as people asked questions and discussed the baby.

Draco handled most of the talking as Hermione was noticeably quiet after Ron's departure. Hermione was disappointed by Ron's reaction, while things had been strained between them lately she genuinely thought he had accepted her marriage to Draco. Hermione dwelled on Ron for a while before she excused herself and went outside for some fresh air.

Hermione was sitting on the back step when Molly and Arthur emerged from the kitchen, each sitting down on either side of her.

"Don't worry about Ron, he'll come round." Molly said.

"It's just a shock for him." Arthur explained. "He's only just accepting your marriage and now he's got to deal with a baby."

"Do you really think he'll come round?" Hermione asked with a sigh.

"Yes." Molly nodded. "You, Draco and the baby are part of this family so he'll have to learn to cope."

"Do you really mean that we're part of the family?" Hermione asked. Despite knowing the Weasley's so long she was still surprised whenever they referred to her as family.

"Yes. You're like a daughter to us Hermione." Arthur said. "And I know this baby won't technically be our grandchild but we'll love it as though it is."

"Thank you, that means so much to me." Hermione said, hugging both Molly and Arthur.

"Come on let's go back inside, you don't want to be catching a cold." Molly said, helping Hermione up from the low step.

Hermione, Molly and Arthur made their way back into the house where they happily re-joined the conversations going on in the house.

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Hermione sat curled up on the sofa, flicking around the television as she tried to find something to watch. After spending most of the afternoon at The Burrow Draco had gone for a drink with Blaise and George while Hermione had returned home as she was tired after the day's events. Hermione finally settled on watching a legal drama that was just beginning when the front doorbell rang.

Hermione wondered who could be using the front door as she got up and went into the front hallway. Since all their friends and family were magical, people tended to use the floo network rather than the front door. When Hermione opened the door she was shocked to find Ron standing on the front doorstep.

"Ron." Hermione exclaimed.

"Hi, 'Mione." Ron smiled sheepishly. "Can I come in?"

Hermione debated telling him to leave after events of the past few weeks but her and Ron shared so much history she nodded and opened the door for him to enter. Ron followed Hermione into the front room and sat down in a chair as Hermione sat back on the sofa.

"I'm sorry about this afternoon." Ron said. "I needed some space to think."

"It's okay Ron." Hermione sighed. "I know it's difficult for you seeing me with Draco and I know you're never going to accept us."

"I do accept you and Malfoy." Ron admitted quietly. "For the first time today I realised how in love the two of you were."

"Then why did you leave?" Hermione asked.

"I needed to process what I'd just realised. I didn't want to spoil your happiness by saying something I'd regret later." Ron admitted. "It's taken me all afternoon to actually be able to be happy for you."

"Are you really happy for me?" Hermione questioned, wondering if Ron was just saying what he thought she wanted to hear.

"Yes." Ron smiled at Hermione. "In fact I bought you this, this afternoon." Ron reached into his jacket and pulled out a small wrapped parcel.

"What is it?" Hermione questioned.

"Open it and find out." Ron laughed. He knew that Hermione always wanted to know what was in her presents rather than opening them and finding out for herself.

Hermione ripped into the paper to find a small teddy bear wearing a t-shirt. The t-shirt read 'Baby's 1st Teddy'. Hermione began to get emotional as she held the small bear in her hands, it was the first thing they had gotten for the baby and suddenly the prospect of being a parent was very real.

"Don't cry, Hermione." Ron said, moving to sit next to Hermione. "I hoped you would like it."

"I do." Hermione sniffed, cursing her hormones. "It's great Ron, thank you."

"It's just my way of saying sorry and letting you know that I'm really pleased for you." Ron said. "I wish I'd reacted better in the first place and I really regret my actions but I'm hoping we can put all that behind us."

"Of course we can." Hermione said, hugging Ron. She was pleased that she finally had her friend back.

"I'll also apologise to Malfoy." Ron said. "I may not like him but he obviously makes you happy."

"He does." Hermione nodded.

"I should be going." Ron said, standing up. "I should also go and say sorry to mum, she won't have been happy with my behaviour."

"She wasn't exactly thrilled, but she'll be happy that we've made up." Hermione said.

"I'll see you soon, Hermione." Ron said, heading for the front door. "I'll also make sure to drop by your offices tomorrow and apologise to Malfoy."

"Thanks Ron, I appreciate it." Hermione said. "Do you want to use the floo?" She asked, noticing the direction in which Ron was heading.

"Thanks." Ron said, changing direction and heading to the fireplace.

After exchanging goodbyes Ron flooed to The Burrow while Hermione sat back down and picked up the bear. Hermione was still sitting holding the bear ten minutes later when Draco stepped out of the fire.

Draco greeted his wife and settled down next to her on the sofa. "Where's the bear come from?" He asked, noticing the small stuffed toy in his wife's hands.

"Ron." Hermione smiled as she told Draco all about Ron's visit and everything he had said.

Draco was pleased that Hermione was happy that everything was sorted with Ron. Despite Draco's less than pleasant feelings for the redhead he vowed to accept his apology gracefully and try to get along with him for Hermione's sake.

After discussing Ron's visit for a while the couple settled down to watch a film. Hermione snuggled against Draco, the bear sitting on her knee as a reminder of how everything was much more settled in her life.

Lucius had accepted her as part of Draco's life and now Ron had finally accepted her marriage. Hermione felt a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders by the day's events, she could now stop worrying about Draco's family and her friends. Instead of worrying about other people Hermione and Draco could finally concentrate on themselves and their baby.

**The End.**


End file.
